A rescued humpback whale was released back into the North Sea in Germany
The humpback whale, whose rescue was followed by the whole of Germany, was released into the North Sea after being freed from shallow waters near the island of Poel.
This was reported by the team behind the private rescue initiative, according to ntv.
By around 9 a.m., the whale was no longer on the barge that had transported it from the Baltic Sea, said Jens Schark, a member of the private initiative who participated in the transport.
The barge carrying the humpback whale, which had repeatedly stranded on the German Baltic Sea coast, nearly reached the North Sea on Friday after a journey of several days—but turned back about 20 kilometers from Denmark’s northernmost point. At this location, near the town of Skagen, the Kattegat and Skagerrak rivers converge, which is why it is also called the entrance to the North Sea.
High waves were observed in the area of this passage for several hours. In calmer waters—further out into the Baltic Sea—the protective net at the stern of the barge was removed in the afternoon. According to the initiative’s team, the water level in the barge initially remained unchanged. Despite the now-open exit, the whale did not leave the barge for many hours.
Before its release, a GPS transmitter was reportedly attached to track the whale’s future location. It was initially unclear whether this was successful and whether the transmitter was transmitting data.
Recall: Humpback whale trapped again on a sandbar in Germany.
The whale managed to free itself from the shoal off the coast of Germany — Bild.
As a reminder, a whale stranded on a shoal is being rescued off the coast of Germany.
Also in Germany, a whale rescue operation failed.
