A special boat carrying a stranded humpback whale whose weeks-long struggle to survive has captured hearts in Germany set off for the open seas this evening in a last-ditch rescue attempt.
Rescuers had earlier succeeded in coaxing the animal into the barge, which has a water-filled hold and is usually used to carry other boats, in a last-ditch attempt to return it to its natural habitat.
The whale, dubbed "Timmy" by German media, and its struggle for survival have gripped the country since it beached on a sandbank near the city of Lübeck, far from its natural habitat in late March.
The latest rescue effort - financed by two entrepreneurs - involves transporting the sea mammal in the barge, which has a water-filled hold and is usually used to carry other boats, from Germany's Baltic Sea coast to deeper waters.
Starting earlier, rescuers attached straps to the whale and heaved the creature down a channel that had been specially dug in the sand to allow it to reach the barge, close to the island of Poel.
After some distance, the whale, with rescuers swimming alongside it, sped up and then swam into the barge, sparking cheers of delight from the rescue team and others watching from the shore.
"I can't even say how happy I am," Karin Walter-Mommert, one of the entrepreneurs financing the rescue bid, told the Bild daily.
"You could see that the whale fought and wanted to live. Knowing he's now in the barge is simply wonderful and shows that the fight for Timmy was worth it."
The plan is now for the barge to be transported to the North Sea, and hopefully for the whale to be released if it is strong enough.
A piece of green netting will be used to close the entrance to the barge so the mammal does not swim out.
Media frenzy
Till Backhaus, environment minister for the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, earlier gave the green light for the mission to proceed after vets said the whale was fit to be transported.
The whale was first spotted stuck on a sandbank on 23 March before freeing itself and then becoming stuck again several times.
Several attempts were initially made to free the sea mammal, including by digging channels for it to swim down, but all failed.
At the start of April, officials gave up on the animal, saying they believed it could not be saved.
But this triggered an outcry and authorities were persuaded to let the entrepreneurs come up with a rescue plan.
Some scientists have strongly criticised the decision to allow further rescue bids, believing they will be too risky for the whale and estimating the chances of success as low.
Mr Backhaus defended the latest attempt, saying it was "definitely worth it".
"I've always said, those who do nothing make no mistakes," he added.
The saga has sparked a media frenzy - with non-stop coverage from TV channels, online outlets and social media influencers - but has also led to angry spats and conspiracy theories.
