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Dead Humpback Off Danish Island Under Test to See If It Is 'Timmy'

Genetic testing now seeks to confirm the identity following weeks without any tracker data.

Overview

  • Danish officials collected a tissue sample on Friday from a dead whale about 75 meters off Anholt to determine if it is the animal known as Timmy.
  • Inspectors reported no GPS transmitter on the carcass, and the device fitted before the May 2 release has yielded no independently verifiable signals.
  • Identification remains unconfirmed, with several researchers calling a match highly likely while some groups cite fin markings that do not fit Timmy.
  • The whale had stranded multiple times in Germany and was moved by a privately funded barge before being released near Skagen on May 2, a move many scientists said offered a weakened animal little chance.
  • Denmark does not plan to remove the body unless it drifts to shore, reflecting a policy that often leaves large carcasses to nature, where a sinking whale can feed marine life for years as a whale fall.