Germany's whale saga continues as animal swims free, then stops again

A humpback whale stranded off Germany’s Baltic Sea coast three weeks ago was able to swim off under its own power early Monday but appeared to come to a stop in the same bay a few hours later.

The whale, a roughly 12-metre-long male nicknamed Timmy that has gripped the country's attention, had been stranded in Wismar Bay near the island of Poel.

Multiple attempts to free it had failed, with hopes fading for the whale's survival, until the animal managed to suddenly swim away on Monday morning aided by rising water levels and strengthening winds.

But about two hours later, the whale appeared to have halted again, according to livestreams following its every movement.

The footage shows the animal appearing to lie near navigation buoys, with escort boats, which have been deployed to guide the whale back toward open waters, keeping their distance.

After beginning his unexpected journey on Monday, Timmy changed course several times, as the boats tried to steer him out of the shallow waters.

Timmy is now in the Kirchsee, a bay that is part of the larger Bay of Wismar and its mouth is very shallow in places, a spokesman for the local Environment Ministry said.

While the fairway is around 2.5 to 3 metres deep, Kirchsee bay is only between 0.9 and 1.1 metres deep, he said, adding that the whale will have to follow an arch-shaped path in order to get out without getting stuck again.

Once the whale reaches the adjoining Bay of Wismar, which connects to the Baltic Sea, it will be much easier for the animal to swim free as the fairway there is significantly deeper, at at least 9 metres, according to the spokesman.

Timmy has been stranded in Wismar Bay since March 31, after already attracting attention for getting stuck multiple times in the preceding weeks at various points on the Baltic coast.

Rescuers had earlier not ruled out that the whale could finally free itself under its own power after showing "great reactions" and a lot of energy on Sunday morning.

Rescue boats from Germany's DLRG life-saving association had been on standby to guide the whale towards the North Sea and then across it into the Atlantic, lawyer Constanze von der Meden from the initiative said.

The original plan was to slide a tarpaulin attached between floating pontoons under the whale, lift it out of the shallow area and later move it towards the North Sea.

Authorities in the north-eastern region of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern had authorized this last-ditch private rescue mission on Wednesday after several attempts by government-backed rescuers failed to free the animal, with fears rising that it might perish off the German coast.

Among those behind the latest initiative is businessman Walter Gunz, co-founder of MediaMarkt, a popular consumer electronics chain.

The saga to free Timmy has garnered massive media attention in Germany, with several media outlets streaming 24/7 live video of the animal's whereabouts.