Overview
- The response team ended active efforts on Wednesday after a press conference in Wismar, where experts said the whale is unlikely to survive.
- Assessments found very irregular, greatly reduced breathing and almost no reaction to people, and falling water levels in the bay further cut any chance of escape.
- Police have set a restricted zone around the animal in the Kirchsee near Poel, are enforcing a drone ban, and will observe without disturbing the site.
- The whale has stranded repeatedly since early March, was once freed by a trench near Timmendorfer Strand, briefly swam free after acoustic guiding on Monday, then re-stranded on Tuesday near Poel.
- Authorities say euthanasia is off the table because it is unsafe for large whales, and experts note Baltic conditions and lingering net debris in the mouth likely worsened the animal’s decline.