Whale swims for freedom after big German rescue effort on Baltic coast
The whale had been entangled in a fishing net, most of which rescuers managed to remove.
A humpback whale that was stranded for days on an underwater sandbank in shallow water at a Baltic Sea resort in Germany has swum free after a last-ditch rescue effort.
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An excavator spent Thursday digging an escape channel for the whale in Timmendorfer Strand, with the mammal then swimming through it overnight, marine biologist Robert Marc Lehmann said.
But he cautioned that it was only a small step in the right direction for the marine mammal, which is 39-49ft long, and that it will only really be at home again if it reaches the Atlantic Ocean.
The whale had been entangled in a fishing net, most of which rescuers managed to remove.
It was escorted by several boats, including the coast guard, but there were concerns on Friday morning that it was swimming backwards and forwards in a zigzag pattern and might return to the sandbanks.
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After several hours, the whale appeared to have travelled some distance from the sandbanks, although it was still visible from the shore and had still not completely left the bay.
Lars Hoppe, a member of the team working to dig the escape channel, was convinced the whale had been desperate to escape.
"He still had a lot of life in him – you could feel it. He wanted to break free," he told regional broadcaster NDR.
"I'm happy he's managed to do it, and above all I think it's great that he's done it by himself."