Overview
- State officials, citing Tuesday's missed deadline for data handover, say the private rescue team failed to deliver GPS tracks, barge video or a veterinary report promised before the release.
- The funder says the tag has pinged more than 20 times without location coordinates, which means no one outside the team can confirm where the whale is or if it is moving.
- The humpback left a transport barge near Skagen on Saturday and has not been independently seen since, with the Stralsund marine museum judging survival unlikely given the animal’s repeated strandings and weakness.
- Marine biologists dispute claims the device sends “vital signs,” noting common satellite tags only transmit when a surfacing whale comes within range and do not provide medical data or a position if the GPS fails.
- An onboard veterinarian alleges a chaotic release that left new mouth and flipper wounds, a portrayal the tug captain disputes, while the IWC says it offered help with a tested transmitter and is urging clear, standard rescue protocols.