{"id":1850063,"date":"2026-03-27T07:12:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T04:12:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1850063"},"modified":"2026-03-27T07:12:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T04:12:16","slug":"rescuers-in-germany-race-to-save-beached-whale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1850063","title":{"rendered":"Rescuers in Germany race to save beached whale"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76556138_6.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"sk6xmai\">\n<div class=\"content-area sa7l9jt s9mg977\">\n<section data-tracking-name=\"sharing-icons-inline\" class=\"c75t7t0 hh5424a in-line closed\">\n<div class=\"copy-button-wrapper closed\"><span class=\"svdcmki\">https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5BDn3<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<figure class=\"s4bcs45\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76556138_800.webp 50w, https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76556138_801.webp 129w, https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76556138_802.webp 352w, https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76556138_803.webp 575w\" media=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 575px)\" height=\"100\" width=\"100\" \/><figcaption class=\"c1oedowi lofg86o m4xla6a s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">The fate of the humpback whale drew dayslong media coverage in Germany<small class=\"copyright c19ed66t ihwmx5 idu7i8u lxmvniw icns9en rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">Image: Ulrich Perrey\/dpa\/picture alliance<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<p>Rescuers managed to <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany-news-race-against-time-for-stranded-humpback-whale\/live-76517488\">free a humpback whale<\/a> that had been stuck on a sand bank on <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany\/t-17871182\">Germany&#8217;s<\/a> Baltic coast on Friday.<\/p>\n<p>The whale had been stranded for several days on the Timmendorfer Strand, with numerous rescue attempts failing to shift the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/animals\/t-18981102\">marine mammal<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The 12 to 15-meter long (39 to 49-foot long) animal must now make its way along the complicated route past the Danish islands, out into the North Sea and then finally into the Atlantic Ocean.<\/p>\n<p>Humpback whales are not native to the Baltic and experts suspect the whale in question was a young male as they, unlike females, migrate.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"placeholder-image master_landscape big\"><img data-format=\"MASTER_LANDSCAPE\" data-id=\"76556166\" data-url=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76556166_${formatId}.jpg\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\" alt=\"Rescuers spraying water on the stranded whale\"><figcaption class=\"img-caption\">A large team of rescuers and animal specialists were involved in the operation<small class=\"copyright\">Image: Ulrich Perrey\/dpa\/picture alliance<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>How did the whale free itself from the German beach?<\/h2>\n<p>The animal was first noticed on Monday, but the first attempt to free it was unsuccessful.<\/p>\n<p>Efforts on Thursday to dig a channel with heavy machinery finally worked and the whale was able to return to the sea overnight.<\/p>\n<p>The work was slow, with rescuers aiming to get the animal used to the noise of the machinery so as not to shock it.<\/p>\n<p>By Thursday evening, the whale, which had been showing more signs of life, began to slowly make its way through the channel.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"placeholder-image master_landscape big\"><img data-format=\"MASTER_LANDSCAPE\" data-id=\"76556222\" data-url=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76556222_${formatId}.jpg\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\" alt=\"The front of a digger can be seen on the beach with a channel leading out into the sea behind it\"><figcaption class=\"img-caption\">Diggers were deployed to dig a channel to help the whale get back to sea<small class=\"copyright\">Image: Kai Moorschlatt\/dpa\/picture alliance<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The team of rescuers tried to encourage the animal to keep going with lots of noise, to which the whale reportedly responded with its own humming noise.<\/p>\n<p>Marine biologist Robert Marc Lehmann told local media that the humpback had &#8220;gathered its strength&#8221; overnight and &#8220;freed itself by its own efforts.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>On Friday morning, German media reported that the whale had been spotted swimming out in the Bay of L\u00fcbeck, to the south of Denmark.<\/p>\n<p>Accompanied by a small armada of police, coast guard, volunteer and research vessels, the whale is now making its way to the open waters of the North Sea.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"vjs-wrapper embed big\">\n<h2 aria-label=\"Embedded video \u2014 Rescuers in Germany race to save beached whale\" class=\"headline\">Rescuers in Germany race to save beached whale<\/h2>\n<p><video id=\"video-76555346\" controls playsinline preload=\"none\" poster=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=\" data-id=\"76555346\" data-posterurl=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76544061_605.webp\" data-duration=\"01:21\"><source src=\"https:\/\/hlsvod.dw.com\/i\/vps\/webvideos\/ENG\/2026\/DWVG\/DWVGENG260326_WhaleIns_01SMW_,AVC_480x270,AVC_512x288,AVC_640x360,AVC_960x540,AVC_1280x720,AVC_1920x1080,.mp4.csmil\/master.m3u8\" type=\"application\/x-mpegURL\" \/><\/video><\/div>\n<p><em>Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<p>Rescuers managed to <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany-news-race-against-time-for-stranded-humpback-whale\/live-76517488\">free a humpback whale<\/a> that had been stuck on a sand bank on <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany\/t-17871182\">Germany&#8217;s<\/a> Baltic coast on Friday.<\/p>\n<p>The whale had been stranded for several days on the Timmendorfer Strand, with numerous rescue attempts failing to shift the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/animals\/t-18981102\">marine mammal<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The 12 to 15-meter long (39 to 49-foot long) animal must now make its way along the complicated route past the Danish islands, out into the North Sea and then finally into the Atlantic Ocean.<\/p>\n<p>Humpback whales are not native to the Baltic and experts suspect the whale in question was a young male as they, unlike females, migrate.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"placeholder-image master_landscape big\"><img data-format=\"MASTER_LANDSCAPE\" data-id=\"76556166\" data-url=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76556166_${formatId}.jpg\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\" alt=\"Rescuers spraying water on the stranded whale\"><figcaption class=\"img-caption\">A large team of rescuers and animal specialists were involved in the operation<small class=\"copyright\">Image: Ulrich Perrey\/dpa\/picture alliance<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>How did the whale free itself from the German beach?<\/h2>\n<p>The animal was first noticed on Monday, but the first attempt to free it was unsuccessful.<\/p>\n<p>Efforts on Thursday to dig a channel with heavy machinery finally worked and the whale was able to return to the sea overnight.<\/p>\n<p>The work was slow, with rescuers aiming to get the animal used to the noise of the machinery so as not to shock it.<\/p>\n<p>By Thursday evening, the whale, which had been showing more signs of life, began to slowly make its way through the channel.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"placeholder-image master_landscape big\"><img data-format=\"MASTER_LANDSCAPE\" data-id=\"76556222\" data-url=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76556222_${formatId}.jpg\" data-aspect-ratio=\"16\/9\" alt=\"The front of a digger can be seen on the beach with a channel leading out into the sea behind it\"><figcaption class=\"img-caption\">Diggers were deployed to dig a channel to help the whale get back to sea<small class=\"copyright\">Image: Kai Moorschlatt\/dpa\/picture alliance<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The team of rescuers tried to encourage the animal to keep going with lots of noise, to which the whale reportedly responded with its own humming noise.<\/p>\n<p>Marine biologist Robert Marc Lehmann told local media that the humpback had &#8220;gathered its strength&#8221; overnight and &#8220;freed itself by its own efforts.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>On Friday morning, German media reported that the whale had been spotted swimming out in the Bay of L\u00fcbeck, to the south of Denmark.<\/p>\n<p>Accompanied by a small armada of police, coast guard, volunteer and research vessels, the whale is now making its way to the open waters of the North Sea.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"vjs-wrapper embed big\">\n<h2 aria-label=\"Embedded video \u2014 Rescuers in Germany race to save beached whale\" class=\"headline\">Rescuers in Germany race to save beached whale<\/h2>\n<p><video id=\"video-76555346\" controls playsinline preload=\"none\" poster=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=\" data-id=\"76555346\" data-posterurl=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76544061_605.webp\" data-duration=\"01:21\"><source src=\"https:\/\/hlsvod.dw.com\/i\/vps\/webvideos\/ENG\/2026\/DWVG\/DWVGENG260326_WhaleIns_01SMW_,AVC_480x270,AVC_512x288,AVC_640x360,AVC_960x540,AVC_1280x720,AVC_1920x1080,.mp4.csmil\/master.m3u8\" type=\"application\/x-mpegURL\" \/><\/video><\/div>\n<p><em>Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Rescuers managed to <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany-news-race-against-time-for-stranded-humpback-whale\/live-76517488\">free a humpback whale<\/a> that had been stuck on a sand bank on <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/germany\/t-17871182\">Germany&#8217;s<\/a> Baltic coast on Friday.<\/p>\n<p>The whale had been stranded for several days on the Timmendorfer Strand, with numerous rescue attempts failing to shift the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/animals\/t-18981102\">marine mammal<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The 12 to 15-meter long (39 to 49-foot long) animal must now make its way along the complicated route past the Danish islands, out into the North Sea and then finally into the Atlantic Ocean.<\/p>\n<p>Humpback whales are not native to the Baltic and experts suspect the whale in question was a young male as they, unlike females, migrate.<\/p>\n<p>The animal was first noticed on Monday, but the first attempt to free it was unsuccessful.<\/p>\n<p>Efforts on Thursday to dig a channel with heavy machinery finally worked and the whale was able to return to the sea overnight.<\/p>\n<p>The work was slow, with rescuers aiming to get the animal used to the noise of the machinery so as not to shock it.<\/p>\n<p>By Thursday evening, the whale, which had been showing more signs of life, began to slowly make its way through the channel.<\/p>\n<p>The team of rescuers tried to encourage the animal to keep going with lots of noise, to which the whale reportedly responded with its own humming noise.<\/p>\n<p>Marine biologist Robert Marc Lehmann told local media that the humpback had &#8220;gathered its strength&#8221; overnight and &#8220;freed itself by its own efforts.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>On Friday morning, German media reported that the whale had been spotted swimming out in the Bay of L\u00fcbeck, to the south of Denmark.<\/p>\n<p>Accompanied by a small armada of police, coast guard, volunteer and research vessels, the whale is now making its way to the open waters of the North Sea.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"vjs-no-js\">To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that <a href=\"https:\/\/videojs.com\/html5-video-support\/\" target=\"_blank\">supports HTML5 video<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko<\/em><\/p>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/whale-swims-to-freedom-after-days-stranded-on-german-beach\/a-76556301&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76556138_6.jpg&#8221;] https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5BDn3 The fate of the humpback whale drew dayslong media coverage in GermanyImage: Ulrich Perrey\/dpa\/picture alliance Rescuers managed to free a humpback whale that had been stuck on a sand bank on Germany&#8217;s Baltic coast on Friday. The whale had been stranded for several days on the Timmendorfer Strand, with numerous rescue [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,74],"class_list":["post-1850063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dw-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1850063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1850063"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1850063\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1850063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1850063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1850063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}