- Rescuers have abandoned hope for a humpback whale repeatedly stranded off Germany's Baltic Sea coast, now expecting the animal to die in the inlet where it currently lies.
- The whale became stuck again on Tuesday near the island of Poel, having been freed from shallower waters at Timmendorfer Strand just last week with the aid of an excavator.
- Authorities had adopted a strategy of providing the exhausted mammal with peace and quiet, hoping it would gather strength to swim away independently.
- Burkard Baschek, scientific director of the Ocean Museum Germany, reported on Wednesday that the 12-15 metre whale was breathing at highly irregular intervals and showed minimal activity.
- The whale, nicknamed 'Timmy' and first spotted on 3 March, is far from its natural habitat in the Baltic Sea, and its plight has captivated the German public.
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