Photos: The Rescue of Timmy the Whale
A humpback whale named Timmy was successfully rescued after being stranded off the coast of Germany for nearly a month. Rescuers used excavators, pontoons, and a specially dredged channel to free the whale and load it onto a barge. Timmy was then transported through the Baltic Sea toward the North Sea, where it was released with a GPS tracker to monitor its recovery.
- ▪Timmy the humpback whale became stranded in shallow waters near the island of Poel in the Baltic Sea in late March 2026.
- ▪Rescue efforts involved Greenpeace, veterinarians, excavators, and a private initiative to dig channels and use pontoons to free the whale.
- ▪The whale was pulled into a barge on April 28, 2026, and towed toward the North Sea with a GPS transmitter attached.
- ▪Veterinarian Janine Bahr-van Gemmert participated in the rescue and briefed the media on the whale's condition.
- ▪Timmy briefly swam free on April 20 but became stranded again before the final rescue operation succeeded.
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PhotographyPhotos: The Rescue of Timmy the WhaleEfforts to rescue a humpback whale off the coast of Germany led to a successful release after it had been stranded for most of the past month. The whale, named Timmy by local media, was eventually pulled into a barge and towed to the North Sea.By Alan TaylorMay 5, 2026, 9:26 AM ET ShareSave Jens Büttner / DPA / GettyA helper splashes a stranded humpback whale at sunset in shallow waters of the Baltic Sea near Fährdorf, off the island of Poel, Germany, on April 24, 2026.
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