Germany Whale Rescue

A stranded humpback whale in Germany’s Baltic Sea looks weaker, and experts fear it won't be able to find its way back to the Atlantic. On Sunday, officials set up a 500-meter restricted zone so the whale could rest and try to free itself. Mecklenburg-Pomerania environment minister Till Backhaus says the whale seems sick and may have injuries from a fishing net. Rescuers have already freed it several times this week with boats and even an excavator, but it kept getting stranded. Scientists now report low activity and slower breathing.

A humpback whale that has become stranded repeatedly off Germany’s Baltic Sea coast in recent days has got stuck again, less than a day after swimming free. But rescuers were hopeful that it could still find its way out into the open sea. The whale swam free late Monday from the spot near the German port of Wismar where it had been stuck since the weekend. It disappeared from view for hours until it was seen Tuesday morning. Police and environmentalists sent rubber boats to accompany the whale, but it turned off a course that would have taken it out of Wismar Bay and into an inlet, where it was stranded again.