COPENHAGEN — A humpback whale found dead off a Danish island has been identified as the animal nicknamed Timmy that was the subject of a major rescue operation after it repeatedly stranded off Germany’s Baltic Sea coast, Danish authorities said on Saturday.
The carcass was discovered near the small island of Anholt in the Kattegat strait between Denmark and Sweden. Danish officials confirmed the identification on Saturday after the whale was found earlier in the week.
Jane Hansen, head of division at the Danish Environmental Protection Agency, said in a statement: “It can now be confirmed that the stranded humpback whale near Anholt is the same whale that was previously stranded in Germany and was the subject of rescue attempts.”
The whale, also referred to as “Hope,” had been stranded multiple times since late March in shallow waters off Germany’s Baltic coast, including near Timmendorfer Strand. It was the focus of an extensive and controversial rescue effort involving German authorities and private groups. On May 2, it was loaded onto a special barge, transported through the Kiel Canal and released into the North Sea.
The rescue drew international attention. Some marine experts had expressed concerns about the whale’s condition after weeks in low-salinity waters and questioned the intervention, while others supported efforts to return it to deeper ocean waters. Details of the precise cause of death remain unclear.
The dead whale was located roughly 130 kilometers (about 80 miles) from the release site, according to reports citing Danish authorities. Identification was aided by a tracking device previously attached to the animal.
Humpback whales are uncommon in the Baltic Sea, which has lower salinity than their typical Atlantic habitats. The young whale, estimated at around 12 meters (about 39 feet) long and weighing roughly 12 tons, had become a focal point for public interest during its ordeal.
Danish authorities have not released further details on plans for the carcass or additional findings from any examination. The incident highlights ongoing challenges in marine mammal conservation and responses to stranded whales in European waters.
