After a week of high drama, authorities on the Baltic coast of northern Germany say they have established a restricted zone around a whale that has been stranded in the area to allow the creature to "die in peace."
"We did everything we could to give it a chance. This is a unique tragedy. But it chose this path for himself," said Till Backhaus, environment minister for the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where the whale is now stranded after initially beaching itself at the resort town of Timmendorf Beach on March 23.
Whale 'no longer has strength'
During an emotional Wednesday press conference, Backhaus said, "we have explored all ideas," before announcing that no further effort would be made to free the animal.
Officials said the whale is lying in shallow waters off the island of Poel near Wismar, adding that it has shown very weak and irregular breathing and is barely moving.
Rescue expert Burkard Baschek, echoed Backhaus' statement, saying all efforts had now been exhausted and there was no hope for the animal.
"We would have to encourage it vigorously [to free itself], which would be futile because it no longer has the strength," said Baschek, who added that any further attempt to move the whale would amount to animal cruelty due to its slim chances of survival.
Citing "respect for nature," Baschek said rescuers had decided that "at some point we must let it go."
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Weekslong ordeal for stranded young humpback
Native to the North Atlantic, the young male, estimated to be between 12 and 15 meters long (39-to-49 feet), has been wandering the Baltic Sea for about four weeks.
It first stranded on a sandbank last week off the coast of Schleswig-Holstein and was freed using excavators and dredges.
It later became stuck again in Wismar Bay before briefly escaping on Monday with the help of acoustic stimuli from experts.
Dubbed "Timmy" by German media, the whale has been suffering from severe skin problems linked to low salinity and still has remnants of fishing nets in its mouth, which have only been partly removed.
The Baltic Sea also does not offer great feeding opportunities for the whale, although this is thought to be less of a problem as they can go for long stretches without eating.
The whale is currently off the island of Poel, authorities said, noting it had been breathing and moving but had not changed position.
The whale had briefly freed itself Monday evening after being stuck for days but ran aground again in shallow water Tuesday afternoon, according to authorities and experts.
Officials had initially decided to give the weakened animal time to recover, but later Tuesday evening announced that its overall prognosis for survival was poor — with expert Burkard Baschek saying it's "reaction to our presence was virtually zero."
Should the animal indeed pass away, the body will be taken to the German Oceanographic Museum to investigate the cause of death.
Rescue expert: Whale's 'prospects in Baltic Sea not good'
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