Humpback Whale Timmy Dies Days After €1.5 Million Rescue in German Waters

5 articles · Updated · The Conversation · May 20

Timmy was found dead just days after rescuers moved the stranded humpback by water-filled barge and tugboat to the sea off Denmark on May 2.
Weeks before the release, the whale had repeatedly stranded off Germany’s Baltic coast in poor health, tangled in fishing gear and bearing cuts consistent with a ship strike.
Marine scientists and International Whaling Commission stranding experts had called the rescue inadvisable, saying Timmy was too unwell and that euthanasia would have caused less suffering.
Public pressure grew through a 24-hour livestream of the case, and two millionaires reportedly provided €1.5 million for the operation despite the welfare concerns.
The case has become a wider cautionary tale for whale rescues, highlighting how public emotion and large spending can override expert advice on animal welfare.

Beyond the rescue, what is being done about the fishing gear that kills 300,000 whales annually?

When does a multi-million dollar rescue become an act of cruelty rather than compassion?