Whale 'Timmy' survived four to five days after release in North Sea, tracking data shows

Tracking data reveals survival window

The humpback whale nicknamed 'Timmy', which became stranded multiple times in the Baltic Sea, lived for roughly four to five days after being transported to the North Sea and released on 2 May. Analysed data from a satellite tag attached to the animal shows transmission stopped between 6 and 7 May, according to Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's environment minister Till Backhaus. The whale covered around 215 kilometres after its release, with movement tracks leading westward of Skagen.

“The whale did not perish immediately after its release; it lived and dived.”

Controversial rescue operation defended

A private initiative had loaded the whale onto a barge from the Wismar Bay area and later pulled it into the open sea at the Skagerrak. Marine biologists had criticised the operation as animal cruelty, warning that the sick and weakened animal would suffer additional stress and likely die soon. Backhaus told reporters in Schwerin that his ministry considered the rescue attempt 'legally and professionally justifiable' and called it 'successful' in bringing the whale to the North Sea.

“There are no reliable indications that the transport or release directly contributed to the animal's death.”

Backhaus added that Germany lacks preparedness for strandings of such animals and that there was 'a lot of catching up to do'.

Necropsy and carcass processing

The whale, a female, was found dead drifting near the Danish island of Anholt on 14 May and the tag was recovered on 16 May. Preliminary necropsy findings showed no evidence of severe external or internal injuries, violence or foreign materials in the body. Organ examinations are still pending. The carcass was transferred to the Danish rendering company Daka in Randers, where fat will be processed into biodiesel and bones, tendons and skin ground into meal for biomass combustion. Some bones will enter the collection of the Natural History Museum in Copenhagen.

Remaining questions

While the movement radius is now clear, other sensor data still require evaluation. The private initiative holds additional records expected to be released in the coming weeks. The ministry said the tag data provided important insights for an overall assessment of the case.