Final steps taken before audacious plan to tow whale stranded in Germany to North Sea

People in Poel try to keep Timmy hydrated on Sunday. Photograph: Frank Molter/AFP/Getty ImagesView image in fullscreenPeople in Poel try to keep Timmy hydrated on Sunday. Photograph: Frank Molter/AFP/Getty ImagesGermanyFinal steps taken before audacious plan to tow whale stranded in Germany to North SeaMillionaire funded operation called ‘pure animal cruelty’ after environment minister sent threats on social mediaKate Connolly in BerlinSun 26 Apr 2026 12.46 EDTLast modified on Sun 26 Apr 2026 13.45 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleFinal preparations are reportedly under way for a millionaire funded plan to tow a sickly humpback whale into the North Sea.The 12-tonne whale, nicknamed Timmy, has been stranded on the Baltic Sea coastline for almost a month. A barge resembling a giant steel aquarium will attempt to transport Timmy 400km (248 miles) towards the North Sea, and then hopefully back to the Atlantic Ocean from where it is believed to have arrived.The mission known as Operation Cushion is scheduled to start on Tuesday. Rescue workers said the animal was positioned in the right direction in the water on Sunday.“[It] is interesting, it turned 90 degrees – and in the right direction. It seems to be preparing itself mentally and emotionally for departure,” the state’s environment minister, Till Backhaus, told Bild.View image in fullscreenTill Backhaus told the press that Timmy seemed to be preparing himself for the towing strategy. Photograph: Frank Molter/AFP/Getty ImagesThe newspaper, along with local media outlets, has been running a live blog on the whale’s progress as well as a live stream from where it has been lying in shallow waters for several weeks.First spotted in the Baltic Sea last month, after it had possibly been chasing shoals of herring, it has now been lying in the mud off the island of Poel in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, for more than three weeks. The water contains far too little salt to sustain it.After experts, including leading marine biologists, said the whale was dying and a rescue operation was only going to stress the animal and would certainly not help it, a private initiative was launched, funded by two prominent millionaires, leaving local politicians in the shade.The initiative plans to lift the 30-metre long whale with air cushions, stretching a net beneath it to suspend it in a pontoon structure. The pontoon would then be towed into deeper waters by a tugboat.View image in fullscreenA rescue team brought equipment to the site where Timmy is stranded on Friday. Photograph: Frank Molter/AFP/Getty ImagesThe whale’s plight has attracted hundreds of onlookers, including tourists from across Europe, who have travelled to Poel to watch the spectacle. Many are camping nearby in cars or caravans. Several people describing themselves as supporters have swum through the cold sea to within metres of the whale, in order to be close to it, before being hoisted out by water police.The rescue effort has involved the local fire brigade spraying the whale with water to keep it hydrated, and latterly, individuals who repeatedly pour buckets of water over its back. Hundreds of kilograms of zinc ointment have been reportedly applied to its back, using cloths to help treat the wounds on its blistered skin.Critics however, say the team that has effectively tasked itself with the latest rescue operation has little experience and accuse it of trying to politically manipulate the situation.Burkard Baschek, the director of the…

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