German rescuers fight for life of humpback whale stranded on Baltic Sea coast

The rescue mission for a humpback whale stranded on the Baltic Sea coast for the past three days was ongoing on Thursday (March 26) on a beach at Timmendorfer Strand in northern Germany.

The whale was first sighted in shallow waters on Monday and as of Thursday afternoon was still stuck.

Marine biologist Robert Marc Lehmann, part of the rescue mission, said the whale was an adult animal who previously had been trapped in a fishing net which hindered the movement of his fins and weakened him.

Lehmann concluded this may have been the reason for the whale to come close to the beach.

According to the biologist, the whale is engaging in interaction and seems to show signs that he wants to live. Unlike humans, whales breath consciously, Lehmann said, which means that they can stop the process at free will.

At Timmendorfer Strand, diggers were in the process of trying to remove sand to allow the whale to move back into the deep sea.

Once freed though, there is no guarantee the whale would be strong enough to swim long distances, Lehmann added. He could be washed back onto a sandbank again.

Veterinarian Stephanie Gross from the Institutes for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research told Reuters that while the animal was in a stressful situation, its general health was in a good nutritional state.

A crucial part for the ongoing mission was how the whale would react to the excavators and their movement nearby, said Gross.

Production: Jonas Walzberg, Lena Toepler/Reuters