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News & Current Events May 3, 2026 at 1:20 AM

Rescuers release humpback whale that was stranded off German coast

Posted by AudibleNod


Rescuers release humpback whale that was stranded off German coast
the Guardian
Rescuers release humpback whale that was stranded off German coast
Calf was transported by water-filled barge in operation deemed ‘inadvisable’ because of low chance of survival

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21 Comments

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Cultural_Meeting_240 May 3, 2026 +37
Glad they got to it in time, poor thing.
37
SehIchKreativAus May 3, 2026 +7
It's like the fourth time they got it free, some voices argue it would be better to let it die, natural causes etc
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Gentleman_Teef 6 days ago +1
it's dead now
1
AudibleNod May 3, 2026 +76
>The rescue attempt had been criticised by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) as “inadvisable” because the whale appeared to be “severely compromised” and was unlikely to survive after its release. Even if there's little to no change this whale survives, can't we use this as a good learning and training experience? It's like when rescuers go all out to rescue a deer in the middle of the river. It's good real-world training. I hope this little guy makes it. And I hope we can learn from this.
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ccReptilelord May 3, 2026 +37
I mentioned on a previous post that should it not survive, a whale fall would likely be a far greater benefit than a giant carcass on the beach.
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Soft-Skirt May 3, 2026 +1
There’s a very funny film featuring Kylie and many others called “Swinging Safari” that revolves around a beached whale.
1
onemorelightgoesout May 3, 2026 +20
It was a private initiative. The official one weeks prior was a shit show, ending in death threats against officials and a scientific institution for marine biology. I don't think that officials involved in future incidents learned from that one much
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phil_the_builder May 3, 2026 +9
This whole story is crazy. I am also happy that the whale is now free and I hope it survives, but this whole social media thing was really terrible. So many people full of hate towards the official initiative, so many armchair experts, so much ego, AI images, songs, and so many consoiracy theories. While I am all for rescuing a stranded whale I wished some of our other topics, like poverty, war and famine, would get the same kind of attention.
9
MyGoodOldFriend May 3, 2026 +2
I would understand it more if it was endangered, but the humpback is common and all over the place. That is, I agree that saving it is right and good, but the emotional heights this reached was a bit out of proportion.
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DeanXeL 6 days ago +1
The current private one was just as big of a shitshow.
1
No-Reserve6226 May 3, 2026 +2
That is the only positive, that this rescue method was tried and appeared to work. However, this whale is so weak that it might not translate to a healthier, stronger whale. The millions spent would have more impact if used to remove fishing gear from the oceans.
2
Velocity_LP May 3, 2026 +37
Fun fact, while it's incredibly common when seeing videos of animals being freed by humans for the animal to be terrified and immediately run away from the humans that helped it as soon as it's free, there have been multiple documented instances of the reverse with humpback whales, where they seem to have recognized the good intentions of the humans and that they help to them get free, with the whale encircling the divers that freed them and brushing up against them, a seemingly compassionate "thank you".
37
Polly_der_Papagei May 3, 2026 +14
This whale definitely understood that it was a rescue, he actively cooperated, he swam on the boat, stayed calm, cooperated with medical care, presented fins, made eye contact, vocalised at the helpers...
14
MovingTargetPractice May 3, 2026 +16
star trek fans rejoice.
16
delcaek May 3, 2026 +7
Is it time for the transparent Aluminium then?
7
AcidaliaPlanitia May 3, 2026 +3
Admiral, there be whales here!
3
AsbestosIsBest May 4, 2026 +1
Are you sure it isn't time for a colorful metaphor?
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huntsab2090 May 3, 2026 +6
Rich people using their money for good ! Well done those 2. Nice to see theres a few about , like that swedish bloke paying to recover grouse moors in scotland back to natural habitat
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Gentleman_Teef 6 days ago +1
The whale died
1
Soft-Skirt May 3, 2026
I didn’t know about that. Time for a search.
0
HermannFischer May 3, 2026 +1
Did the rescuers know where to find the nuclear wessels?
1
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