Overview
- The young humpback, first found stuck on a sandbank near Niendorf early Monday, remained stranded after Monday night’s high water failed to free it.
- Police, water police, firefighters, ITAW scientists, and Sea Shepherd tried boats, drones, and wave‑making, but the whale’s poor skin condition and net remnants hindered progress.
- ITAW and the local mayor said Tuesday they plan to use a suction dredger to remove sand under the whale, with timing set by water levels and animal welfare checks.
- ITAW’s Ursula Siebert said euthanasia is not a viable option under current coastal conditions, citing safety risks and a lack of reliable methods for such a large whale.
- Authorities fenced off the area as onlookers in boats and on shore disrupted work, while experts noted the animal is likely the same one earlier disentangled near Wismar and Travemünde, and that the Baltic’s weak tides and shallow water make refloating large whales exceptionally hard.