Overview
- A public necropsy of the stranded humpback nicknamed “Timmy” was completed on Thursday on the Danish island of Anholt after the carcass had been hauled ashore.
- The expert team confirmed the animal was female and observed parasites during the on-site dissection but said the parasites did not appear to be the direct cause of death.
- Scientists cautioned that advanced decomposition stopped them from identifying a definitive cause on site because decay can hide signs such as internal bleeding or water in the lungs.
- The whale had stranded repeatedly on the German Baltic coast and was moved by a private initiative by barge into the North Sea in April and May, an intervention experts warned against that is now under public scrutiny.
- Tissue, organ and DNA samples were taken and sent to laboratories for analysis that officials expect will take months while the carcass remnants were placed in containers for removal and industrial processing early next week.