Humpback whale ‘Timmy’ released in North Sea

... After weeks stranded off Germany 

Berlin: A rescue team on Saturday released from a barge in the North Sea a humpback whale that had been stranded in shallow waters near Germany since March, witnesses said.

Nicknamed Timmy by German media, the whale was spotted swimming near Germany’s Baltic Sea coast on March 3, far from its natural habitat in the Atlantic Ocean.

The mammal’s health deteriorated as it became repeatedly stranded in shallow waters near the coastal city of Wismar, and unsuccessful efforts to coax it towards deeper seas were livestreamed across the globe.

Germany’s Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania state environment minister gave the green light for the attempt to save the whale, proposed by a private initiative, despite warnings from the scientific community it may be too mu­ch for the animal.