Humpback Whale Strands Again in Wismar Bay After Freeing Itself Near Timmendorfer Strand

A humpback whale that had only just freed itself from a sandbank off Timmendorfer Strand ran aground again on Saturday, March 28, 2026, this time on a sandbank in Wismar Bay near the small uninhabited island of Walfisch. A spokesperson for the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Ministry of the Environment confirmed the sighting, stating the whale had been spotted at noon. Greenpeace also confirmed the renewed stranding. The Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Environment Ministry announced that experts had examined the animal and concluded it had once again become stuck on a sandbank. The whale, estimated to be between 12 and 15 meters long, had originally been discovered on Monday, March 23, on a sandbank off Timmendorfer Strand in Schleswig-Holstein, where it spent several days before rescuers dug an escape channel using an excavator. The animal freed itself through that channel in the night leading into Friday, March 27, only to strand again less than two days later.

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Experts leave whale alone overnight, hoping it swims free Authorities and conservation organizations decided Saturday evening not to launch an immediate rescue operation, opting instead to give the animal time to free itself overnight. Greenpeace marine biologist Thilo Maack, who was himself present in an inflatable boat near the stranded animal, said the whale was still making attempts to swim away. He noted that the water around the sandbank in Wismar Bay is significantly deeper than at Timmendorfer Strand, where the depth had been only about one meter. „The whale is still making attempts to swim away. We therefore hope that it will free itself.” — Thilo Maack via Handelsblatt Maack added that the decision to hold back had been coordinated with other actors, including the German Maritime Museum in Stralsund. A nearby deeper channel offers the whale a potential escape route, and experts said the unfavorable weather conditions on Saturday afternoon also made any intervention impractical. The boats involved in monitoring withdrew to avoid adding stress to the animal.

Minister Backhaus urges public to keep their distance Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's Minister for Climate Protection, Agriculture, Rural Areas and Environment, Till Backhaus of the SPD, expressed concern about the whale's condition while stopping short of abandoning hope. „We must unfortunately assume that the animal is not doing well. But there is still hope. Very close to the animal there is a deeper channel and there is the possibility that the whale will make its way there on its own. We want to give it time overnight for that.” — Till Backhaus via stern.de Backhaus stated that if the whale had not freed itself by Sunday, experts on site would attempt to gently nudge it toward deeper water. He also called on the public to leave the weakened and stressed animal in peace, and said the water police would conduct a night watch to prevent unauthorized persons from approaching. Backhaus thanked all forces that participated in the search by water and by land, noting that state offices for agriculture and the environment as well as the Vorpommern National Park Office had already been placed on standby on Friday in anticipation of a possible renewed stranding.

Police veteran sees slim odds, but refuses to rule out survival The response on the water involved multiple agencies and organizations. The water police boat "Walfisch" had been patrolling the coast since early morning and contributed to locating the animal. Greenpeace deployed two boats in the search, while employees of the German Maritime Museum and the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research were also present on the water and on land, according to the SRF News report citing the environment ministry. Senior police inspector Holger Kraus of the Wismar water police, who has monitored the Baltic Sea for 30 years, offered a sobering assessment. „During my years of service I dealt with two or three whales of this size that had strayed to us. Unfortunately, none survived.” — Holger Kraus via DIE WELT He nonetheless declined to rule out a different outcome this time. Experts have not established why the whale entered the Baltic Sea, though they noted that large whales such as humpbacks can follow schools of fish in search of food and stray into the sea, with underwater noise potentially also playing a role.

Humpback whales are not native to the Baltic Sea, which is far shallower and less saline than the open Atlantic where the species typically lives. According to experts cited in the source articles, humpback whales can enter the Baltic by following schools of fish in search of food, and underwater noise may also contribute to such navigational errors. The whale was first discovered on March 23, 2026, on a sandbank off Timmendorfer Strand in Schleswig-Holstein, where rescuers spent several days attempting to free it before digging an escape channel with an excavator.