{"id":436134,"date":"2026-05-20T04:40:08","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T04:40:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/436134\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T04:40:08","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T04:40:08","slug":"timmy-the-stranded-whale-is-dead-please-lets-put-animal-welfare-first-and-human-emotion-second","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/436134\/","title":{"rendered":"Timmy the stranded whale is dead. Please, let\u2019s put animal welfare first and human emotion second"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since March, the world has watched live<\/a> as a humpback whale lay stranded on a sandbank in German waters, far from the North Sea. <\/p>\n

The stranded humpback whale was found in poor health, tangled in fishing gear with telltale cuts from a ship strike on its back. He was given the name Timmy<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Early attempts to rescue Timmy failed. As the weeks dragged on, public interest in his plight increased. The question was what to do. German politicians, animal welfare groups and concerned citizens debated euthanasia or rescue.<\/p>\n

Despite experts<\/a> pointing out Timmy was not well enough to be rescued, two millionaires reportedly chipped in<\/a> \u20ac1.5m (A$2.4 million) to have him moved onto a barge filled with water, pulled by tugboat to the sea off the coast of Denmark and released on May 2. Just days ago, Timmy was found dead<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This story illustrates a clear principle \u2013 when it comes to an animal enduring suffering, we need to put their welfare first. <\/p>\n

How did Timmy get stranded?<\/p>\n

When a humpback whale becomes stranded<\/a>, it\u2019s usually a sign of poor health rather than poor navigation. Either way, the moment a whale becomes caught on a beach, the survival clock starts ticking. <\/p>\n

For Timmy, the clock started in March when he was first found stranded off Germany\u2019s Baltic coast. An excavator and dredger was used to free Timmy at least twice. The whale later became stranded again, many times. <\/p>\n

During Timmy\u2019s weeks-long strandings, people could watch<\/a> on a 24-hour livestream. His plight is believed to be a unique case<\/a> globally, as a large whale stranding multiple times in different places under constant observation. The German Oceanographic Museum described the situation as \u201cuncharted territory<\/a>\u201d. <\/p>\n

There were many concerns raised about Timmy\u2019s welfare while stranded and during the rescue attempt<\/a>. He was caught in low-salinity water, likely causing skin deterioration. His body weight likely crushed his internal organs \u2013 whales live in water and have likely never felt their own weight in air before. The whale was also vulnerable to sunburn. <\/p>\n

Vocalisations<\/a> \u2013 low-frequency sounds made by the whale \u2013 were heard while he was in the barge and being manoeuvred back into the sea. Unfortunately, we do not understand what these meant.<\/p>\n

Given he was a mammal like you and me, it is possible Timmy was in pain. Large toothless whales<\/a> such as humpback whales are known to have nerves like ours<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Was the rescue for humans \u2013 or for Timmy?<\/p>\n

From an animal-welfare and ethics point of view, efforts to rescue Timmy were a bad idea. The whale was in very poor health. As a wildlife scientist, my view is that euthanasia was the kindest option<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Moving Timmy onto a barge would have likely caused him further pain and suffering. It\u2019s no surprise he died not long after the rescue effort, given his already poor condition.<\/p>\n

In fact, the rescue effort shocked marine scientists<\/a>. Stranding experts from the International Whaling Committee described rescue efforts as \u201cinadvisable\u201d on grounds of animal welfare and human safety<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So why did it go ahead? Authorities allowed this to happen<\/a>, perhaps feeling the weight of public opinion. Many people wanted to see Timmy released<\/a>. As a whale expert, I can understand why people wanted to see this whale free. But it was never going to be simple. <\/p>\n

Lessons not learned from Free Willy<\/p>\n

For me, Timmy\u2019s story reminded me of the film Free Willy<\/a>, which was based on the true story<\/a> of an orca named Keiko kept in captivity. In reality, Keiko was not suitable for release. <\/p>\n

In the film, Free Willy is freed after caring humans mount a daring rescue and the orca swims happily away. But in real life, Keiko was freed at a cost of about A$28 million, failed to adapt to life in the wild, and died the following year. <\/p>\n

\"People<\/a><\/p>\n

People look through the window of an aquarium at the orca Keiko, the original
\n Kevin Schafer\/Getty<\/a><\/p>\n

You can see the parallels with Timmy. For both Timmy and Keiko, large sums of money were spent relocating whales with little chance of success. <\/p>\n

Imagine if we used those funds for broader marine conservation, rather than two individual animals? <\/p>\n

Like everyone, I cared about Timmy \u2013 we all did. But the reality is that humans placed Timmy and Free Willy in their respective positions, be it entanglement in fishing gear (Timmy) or capture from the wild (Free Willy). Both were our responsibility. <\/p>\n

When it comes to an animal enduring suffering, let\u2019s make sure it is welfare \u2013 not our human desire to play saviour \u2013 that is the first priority.<\/p>\n