Worry over survival of stranded humpback whale in Germany

Hopes for the survival of a humpback whale who has been stranded off the Baltic coast of Germany for a week are starting to fade, as the whale’s breathing frequency slowed over the weekend.

“The whale must be freed very quickly now if it is to have any chance at all,” Greenpeace marine biologist Thilo Maack told the German Press Agency on Sunday.

The whale, named ‘Timmy’ after the Timmendorfer beach where he was first found stranded, is around 15 metres long and weighs an estimated 30 tonnes.