Humpback whale rescued in Germany found dead near Denmark

A young male humpback whale, nicknamed Timmy, has been found dead near the Danish island of Anholt in the Kattegat Strait. The whale initially became stranded in the Wismar Bay in the Baltic Sea on March 23. Following a private rescue operation funded by two German businessmen, the whale was transported in a water-filled barge and released into the North Sea on May 2. While the Danish Environmental Protection Agency confirmed that the specimen found is the same whale rescued in Germany, other local officials previously cited the possibility as an ongoing investigation involving DNA sampling. Some experts had criticized the rescue operation, arguing that the whale was disoriented and ill, suggesting that euthanasia or natural mortality would have been more appropriate. The animal had been trapped for weeks near Timmendorfer Strand before the intervention. The environmental agency has now confirmed the identification, concluding the saga of the high-profile rescue attempt.