The Long, Sad, And Totally Fucked-Up Tale Of Timmy The Whale's Trip To Germany | Defector

A 33-foot humpback whale nicknamed Timmy became stranded in shallow waters on Germany’s Baltic coast after being heard moaning in March. Authorities tried to help it reach the Atlantic by digging a channel and using boats to create waves, but it freed itself and then stranded again. After a third stranding, marine scientists said the overall prognosis did not look good. Timmy later beached off the Danish island of Anholt, where residents watched it slowly bloat as its guts and stomach decomposed. Its skin became taut and distended by gases, and the body drifted near a sandbank in shallow waves. A livestream of the dead whale aired with a suicide hotline number included.

"The residents of Anholt, per the BBC, have watched Timmy slowly balloon in size as its guts and stomach begin to decompose. Timmy's body, skin taut and distended by gases, now lolls around a sandbank a short distance from the beach and drifting in the shallow waves. As one German television channel aired a livestream of its dead body, the channel included the number of a suicide hotline."

"In March, people staying at a hotel on Germany's Baltic Coast heard deep, distressing moans. The moans came from a young 33-foot-long humpback whale, stuck in the shallow waters of Timmendorfer Strand (hence "Timmy"). Timmy's condition was alarming. The whale, whose sex was never fully confirmed, looked sick and exhausted. It did not respond to the blaring noises of passing ships."

"Local authorities attempted to help Timmy find its way back to the Atlantic, digging a channel and creating waves with a boat. But the odds were against Timmy. Even if the whale freed itself, it would need to swim about 310 miles through narrow straits to reach more hospitable waters. Timmy did manage to free itself, and was quickly ushered toward the Atlantic by guide boats. But the whale soon stranded again."

"When Timmy stranded for the third time, marine scientists told The Guardian: "The prognosis as a whole doesn't look good.""

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