The whale stranded off Germany’s Baltic coast is visibly deteriorating, the state Environment Ministry said on Monday, after another failed attempt to get the animal swimming over the weekend.
“Our scientific advisers now believe that water is accumulating in the whale’s lungs,” said Till Backhaus, environment minister in the coastal state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
This indicated that the whale’s organs have been severely damaged, Backhaus explained.
The sick humpback whale has been in the Bay of Wismar in the Baltic Sea since March 31, after becoming stranded multiple times in the preceding weeks. Authorities suspended major rescue operations on April 1 due to the animal’s state of health, in order to let the whale pass away in peace.
Over the weekend, whale songs were played underwater to try to encourage the mammal to free itself.
The whale has captured the hearts of many in Germany and several private initiatives regarding possible rescue measures for the animal have been submitted to the local administrative court. These have all been denied so far.
People have also tried to reach the whale on several occasions in recent days, including a woman who jumped into the water from a ferry wearing a wetsuit, according to a spokesman for the state Environment Ministry.
He said around 50 demonstrators gathered near the cordoned off entry to the water around the Bay of Wismar on Monday. Some of them entered the restricted area and were pushed back by police, the spokesman added.
The humpback whale is still lying on a sandbar off the island of Poel in the early morning. Marcus Golejewski/dpa