Humpback whale ‘Timmy’ released in North Sea after weeks stranded off Germany

The humpback whale recovered from a shallow bay off Wismar (Philip Dulian/dpa via AP)

A rescue team has released from a barge in the North Sea a humpback whale that had been stranded in shallow waters near Germany since March, witnesses said.

Nicknamed Timmy by German media, the whale was spotted swimming near Germany’s Baltic Sea coast on March 3, far from its natural habitat in the Atlantic Ocean.

The mammal’s health deteriorated as it became repeatedly stranded in shallow waters, and unsuccessful efforts to coax it toward deeper seas were live-streamed across the globe.

The humpback whale recovered from a shallow bay off Wismar (Philip Dulian/dpa via AP)

Mecklenburg Vorpommern’s environment minister gave the green light for the attempt to save the whale, proposed by a private initiative, despite some warnings from the scientific community that it may be too much for the animal.