Rescue Intensifies for Stranded Humpback in German Baltic Waters

Rescue teams in northern Germany intensified efforts Thursday to free a stranded humpback whale from shallow waters along the Baltic Sea coast near Timmendorfer Strand beach, after previous attempts failed to dislodge the 10-meter-long mammal.

The young male whale, weighing several tons, was first spotted Monday near Niendorf, close to the city of Luebeck. Hotel staff reported unusual noises from the shoreline early that day, prompting an immediate response from authorities and marine experts. Rescuers identified it as likely the same humpback that had been sighted multiple times in recent weeks at the port of Wismar in eastern Germany, an unusual occurrence for the species typically found in deeper Atlantic waters.

Initial operations on Monday afternoon involved police boats, inflatable craft and firefighter drones to guide the efforts and create waves aimed at lifting the whale toward a nearby shipping channel. The animal, which experts believe is a migrating male, briefly responded by lifting its head and vocalizing. Teams also turned the whale so its head pointed toward deeper water, hoping it would swim free, but it soon reverted to its original position. A suction dredger...