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DGzRS assisted in rescue of grounded humpback whale off Niendorf
On March 26, 2026, the 'Felix Sand' from the DGzRS station assisted in the rescue of a humpback whale, which had stranded off Niendorf on March 23 in the Lübeck Bay. for coordination and safety. As part of inter-agency assistance, the DGzRS was asked if it could support the rescue efforts for the stranded whale. Since many smaller boats were already in operation, the presence of the lifeboat 'Felix Sand' primarily served the safety of the crews involved in the operation. Boats of the water police were guiding the whale out into the open Baltic Sea on the morning of March 27, after it finally broke free and found its way through a channel, which dredgers of the LU Hoffmann GmbH had out during the previous day towards deeper water. It was hoped to be able to escort the whale to the North Sea, as originally planned. The operation was being accompanied by the institutes, with veterinary support from Dr. Groß. Also the Minister-President of Schleswig Holstein, Daniel Günther, visited the site on March 26 and thanked the rescue workers. Numerous volunteers, including members of the fire department, the German Life Saving Association (DLRG), environmentalists, and scientists, were on site. After the great relief on the morning of March 27, there was a moment of tension. The whale had once again headed towards the sandbank where it had been stranded for almost five days. The police boats ' Fehmarn' (IMO: 9452098), 'Hummer' (MMSI: 211111140) and the 'Seafire' (MMSI: 211888690), experts of the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research and other helpers were able to escort the whale quickly. It was still unclear how long the animal can be escorted. Whether it can be guided into deeper water was currently uncertain. The Lübeck Bay is very shallow overall. The animal could run aground on another sandbank at any time. On March 28, the police launch 'Uecker' (MMSI: 211223230) resumed the search of the coast of Mecklenburg- Vorpommern up to Warnemünde, supported by the 'Walfisch'. Reports with photos and video: https://www.seenotretter.de/aktuelles/seenotfaelle/seenotretter-helfen-bei-befreiung-von-gestrandetem-wal https://cdn.tickaroo.com/mediagw/image/c_limit,w_1280,h_853/f_webp/imageservice://media/organization/57a873a8e4b0dfa840dc6d8f/liveblog/gocBzktW5zjq7B4sRp2r/eoccJAY95zjq7B4s3Fqc/mocip8rx5zjq7B4s3Fqf.jpeg https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/schleswig-holstein/Schleswig-Holstein-aktuell-Nachrichten-im-Ueberblick,walblog-100.html https://www.ndr.de/fernsehen/sendungen/schleswig-holstein_magazin/Schleswig-Holstein-Magazin,shmag-8380.html https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/schleswig-holstein/gestrandeter-wal-an-ostsee-kueste-ist-befreit-wo-er-aktuell-unterwegs-ist,wal-180.html https://www.tagesspiegel.de/gesellschaft/panorama/grosswal-befreite-sich-in-der-nacht-meeressauger-an-der-ostseekuste-nun-auf-kurs-hinaus-aus-der-lubecker-bucht-15396792.html
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