Overview
- The juvenile humpback, released Saturday morning off Denmark, left a water-filled barge and swam away under its own power.
- Organizers said it initially moved in the right direction toward the Atlantic, with the release reported about 70 kilometers off Skagen.
- German authorities halted efforts in early April before approving a privately financed plan after veterinarians deemed the whale fit for transport.
- Scientists and groups including Greenpeace and the International Whaling Commission said the animal was severely compromised and warned that deep-water release could add stress or risk drowning.
- A GPS transmitter was reportedly attached for tracking, and experts say survival will hinge on whether weeks of stranding left lasting muscle, breathing, and skin damage or net fragments that impede feeding.