Deutsche Tageszeitung - Outlook worsens for whale stranded on German coast

Weather - Berlin 3°C

Outlook worsens for whale stranded on German coast

POLITICS 24.03.2026

Outlook worsens for whale stranded on German coast / Photo: © dpa/AFP

The health of a humpback whale stranded on Germany's Baltic Sea coast is deteriorating, conservationists said Tuesday, as efforts to free the animal continued.

Change text size:

The 10-metre (33-foot) long whale was first spotted stuck in shallow water close to Niendorf near the city of Luebeck early on Monday.

Rescuers have been trying since to get it back into deeper water, so far without success.

Carsten Manheimer of the marine conservation group Sea Shepherd told AFP that the whale had developed a skin condition resembling barnacles due to the water's low salinity.

"It is impossible to pull the whale out to sea," Manheimer said, adding that the animal was weak and that such an operation may do more harm than good.

On Monday, boats were used to generate waves in an effort to help the whale return to deeper water, without success.

However, rescuers did manage to partially free the whale from the netting that had become wrapped around its body.

Police said they had erected fencing on the beach to ensure the whale is not disturbed by onlookers.

Further discussions about possible rescue options for the animal were expected for Tuesday.

Manheimer said his group was "on standby in case the experts still see a way" to help the whale.

It is possible that the stranded animal is the same whale that became entangled in a fishing net further east along Germany's Baltic Sea coast earlier this month.

A week before that, a whale had likewise been sighted in the Baltic port of Wismar.

(P.Tomczyk--DTZ)

Featured

Eli Crane Defeats Jonathan Nez in Tight Arizona Congressional Race

Incumbent Republican U.S. Representative Eli Crane has retained his seat in Arizona’s second congressional district after defeating former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez in an unexpectedly close election. The Associated Press called the race on Monday, confirming Crane’s narrow victory following nearly a week of vote counting.

Economist Testifies Canada Has Limited Power to Alter Global Climate

An environmental economist testifying at Canada’s first youth-led climate trial stated Monday that the federal government has limited power to alter the climate within its borders because global warming is largely driven by the choices of other nations. Professor David Anthoff, appearing as the first witness for the federal government in Vancouver, emphasized that while domestic policy matters, it cannot solve the problem in isolation.

MLA seeks inquiry into reported sectarian gestures on Ormeau Road

A SINN FÉIN MLA has condemned reports that loyalist band members made sectarian gestures at the scene of a Troubles massacre where five Catholic civilians were murdered. Deirdre Hargey has now called on police and transport authorities to investigate the claims following Saturday's Belfast Walker Club parade on the Ormeau Road.

Louise O’Reilly attacks Simon Harris over unemployment remarks

Sinn Féin TD Louise O’Reilly has dubbed Fine Gael leader Simon Harris a “Thatcherite” after the Tánaiste claimed that long-term unemployment is “not a way of life. ” The Sinn Féin social protection spokesperson stated that the Tánaiste has chosen to “stigmatise individuals on the margins of society and cast them as work-shy, rather than answer for his Government’s failures and the serious problems within his own party.

Change text size: