A barge carrying a humpback whale that was stranded in Germany for weeks has entered Danish waters on its journey to the North Sea. The tugboat pulling the water-filled barge crossed into Danish territory on Wednesday afternoon, located between the islands of Samso and Sjaelland.

Till Backhaus, environment minister for the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, said that if all goes well, the whale could reach the North Sea by Friday. He reported that the animal is 'doing well' and made sounds during the night.

The young whale, nicknamed 'Timmy' by German media, was first spotted off Germany's Baltic coast on March 3, far from its natural Atlantic habitat. Its health deteriorated as it repeatedly became stranded in shallow waters.

After an initial rescue attempt using inflatable cushions and pontoons failed, rescuers coaxed the whale onto a specially converted freight barge on Tuesday. A channel was dredged to move the whale from the shallows of Poel island to the barge.

However, some scientists have warned the operation may be too stressful for the animal. Thilo Maack, a marine biologist at Greenpeace, said the whale is severely stressed and likely to die soon. The International Whaling Commission called the rescue 'inadvisable,' noting the whale appeared severely compromised.

The rescue initiative is being privately financed by two German multimillionaires.

Source: www.dw.com