Bultrug Timmy overleden na reddingspoging

The humpback whale, known as Timmy, has died approximately four to five days after being released from the German bay of Wismar. Till Backhaus, the Environment Minister of the German state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, announced the whale's death. Tracking data from a tag attached after the rescue operation indicated Timmy traveled about 215 kilometers but swam back towards the Baltic Sea, an area where it had previously encountered trouble. The data also showed the whale's swimming speed decreased and dives became shallower over time. Timmy was found deceased off the coast of the Danish island of Anholt on May 14th, with researchers estimating the death occurred around May 6th or 7th. The whale had a history of stranding in the Baltic Sea, and despite a private rescue effort to guide it to the Atlantic Ocean, scientists had warned it might be too weakened to survive. An autopsy confirmed Timmy was female, but the exact cause of death remains undetermined.

The death of humpback whale Timmy after a rescue attempt raises questions about the effectiveness and ethics of intervening in cases of stranded marine mammals.