A humpback whale has freed itself from a sandbank near the German coastal city of Lübeck, after a series of rescue attempts. Rescue teams are now hopeful that the whale will swim out of the shallow waters of Lübeck Bay and into the wider sea.
Reports confirmed early Friday morning that the whale had swum off the sandbank, with Stephanie Gross from the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research verifying this as a colleague observed the mammal from an inflatable boat.
Initially spotted stranded near Timmendorfer Strand last Monday, the whale, measuring between 10-12 meters (32-40 feet) long, was subject to multiple rescue attempts throughout the week. The efforts intensified on Thursday when two diggers were deployed to dredge a channel that would allow the whale to access deeper water.
Biologist Robert Marc Lehmann, who assisted in the rescue operations, voiced cautious optimism, emphasizing that the whale was not yet out of danger and needed to remain in deeper waters to ensure its safety. As of early Friday, the whale was being escorted by several boats approximately 300 meters offshore.
