Rescued humpback whale found dead off Danish island

A humpback whale that was rescued after beaching itself on Germany's Baltic coast has been found dead near a Danish island.

The whale was first spotted stuck on a sandbank off the island of Poel on 23 March. It swam free in early May after a water-filled barge carried it into the North Sea.

The operation was privately funded by two German entrepreneurs and drew criticism from some observers who said it would only distress the animal.

A whale carcass was spotted on Thursday off the Danish island of Anholt, which lies between Denmark and Sweden. Authorities could not immediately confirm it was the same whale.

The Danish Environmental Protection Agency said on Saturday that conditions allowed officials to verify the whale's identity and retrieve its tracking device. The agency told AFP there are no plans to remove the carcass or perform a necropsy, and it is not considered a problem in the area.

The agency warned people not to approach the whale because it could carry diseases transmissible to humans. It also noted a risk of explosion from internal gas caused by decomposition.

The whale, nicknamed "Timmy" or "Hope" by rescuers and German media, became stranded on Timmendorfer Beach in Lübeck Bay on 23 March. It freed itself at first but became stuck again several times.

Entrepreneurs Karin Walter-Mommert and Walter Gunz funded the private rescue, fitted the whale with a tracking device and coaxed it onto a water-filled transport ship called Fortuna B.

Till Backhaus, the environment minister in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, called the operation a success and an example of what can be done. Wildlife groups have been sceptical about the whale's prospects after its release into the North Sea.