Schwerin Environment Ministry to Evaluate Satellite Data from Deceased Humpback Whale "Timmy"

From the Disease Discovery to the Release

The humpback whale had previously lain seriously ill for an extended period off the Mecklenburg coast near the island of Poel. A private initiative had eventually taken the animal in tow with a special ship and transported it by sea toward the North Sea. Shortly before the release, helpers attached a satellite transmitter to the weakened animal in order to be able to track its movements.

According to the ministry, "Timmy" was released around 70 kilometres off Skagen in the Skagerrak, that is, in the transitional area between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. Shortly afterward, the whale washed up lifeless on the Danish island of Anholt. The animal was necropsied in Denmark, which according to the ministry initially yielded no concrete indications of the cause of death.

Death near Anholt and Necropsy in Denmark

According to earlier information, the remains of the whale were to be processed in Denmark into, among other things, biodiesel. The procedure had previously sparked discussions about how to handle the stranded animal. The Environment Ministry described the planned presentation of the transmitter data as an important step in order to be able to retrospectively assess the case from a professional perspective.

Till Backhaus has long served as Environment Minister in Schwerin and is a member of the SPD. With the presentation of the transmitter evaluation, the ministry is responding to the ongoing public debate about the fate of the animal. Experts hope the movement data will yield conclusions, among other things, about whether the whale was still able to cover its own distances after the release or lost strength immediately.

The planned press conference on Friday in Schwerin is intended to make the initial results of the evaluation public. Afterward, the authorities want to examine what conclusions can be drawn from the data for future similar rescue and recovery operations involving marine mammals in the Baltic Sea. Beyond the media attention, the case could thus also have professional consequences for the handling of injured or sick large whales in the region.