Stranded humpback whale in Germany's Baltic Sea weakens as hopes of its return to the Atlantic fade
PBS • • world
Key Points:
- A stranded humpback whale in Germany's Baltic Sea is weakening, with experts fearing it may not survive or find its way back to the Atlantic despite rescue attempts.
- Authorities established a 500-meter restricted zone around the whale near Wismar to allow it to rest and potentially free itself, but the whale appears sick and possibly injured from contact with fishing nets.
- Rescue efforts earlier this week involved excavators and boats creating waves to help the whale swim free, attracting widespread media attention and public interest in Germany.
- The whale cannot survive long-term in the Baltic Sea due to low salt levels and lack of proper nutrition, and it has developed a skin disease; survival depends on its ability to navigate about 500 kilometers back to the Atlantic through narrow straits.
- Experts speculate the whale entered the Baltic Sea after following prey or during migration, but its respiratory rate and activity have significantly declined, diminishing hopes for its successful return.
