Whale swims for freedom after big German rescue effort on Baltic coast

A humpback whale has freed itself from a sandbank near the German coastal city of Lübeck, after a series of rescue attempts.

Rescue teams say the whale is now swimming in deeper water 300m (1,00ft) off the coast in Lübeck Bay and they are hopeful it will then head towards the wider sea.

The humpback, which is about 12-15m (40-50ft) in length, was first spotted stranded near the resort of Timmendorfer Strand last Monday. Several attempts were made to free the humpback during the week.

Biologist Robert Marc Lehmann said the whale, which is 12-15m (40-50ft) in length, had built up its strength overnight and freed itself.

Reports at first light that the whale had swum off the sandbank were confirmed by Stephanie Gross from the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, who said a colleague was in an inflatable boat alongside the mammal.

Eventually, two diggers were deployed on Thursday to dredge a channel for the whale to swim into deeper water, and rescue teams worked late into the day under floodlights to save it.

By early evening hopes had risen that the humpback had become more active.

Lehmann, who had tried to coax the whale into the channel on Thursday, said the mammal was not yet safe and it was crucial that it remained in open water and eventually swam out into the wider Baltic Sea.

Stephanie Gross said early on Friday that the whale was being escorted by several boats including the coast guard.

Rescuers have been unable to fit a tracker to its skin because of its poor condition, and a piece of netting is lodged in its mouth.

However, local mayor Sven Partheil-Böhnke said he was delighted that the humpback had managed to free itself and experts were optimistic that it would continue to swim north in the direction of Denmark.

Even if the whale reaches the Baltic, rescuers believe it needs to swim on into the North Sea and then the Atlantic before it reaches its natural habitat.