Millionaires Step In to Rescue Stranded Whale—and the Effort Is Sparking Controversy

After a humpback whale affectionately named Timmy became stuck in shallow waters, early rescue attempts failed. Six weeks later, two millionaires have stepped in to fund a fresh attempt. This turn of events has sparked strong reactions, with some applauding the effort and others expressing their anger.

Why Two Millionaires Are Funding a Last-Chance Rescue for Timmy

Roughly six weeks ago, a ten-metre-long humpback whale became stranded in the shallow waters of Timmendorfer Strand off Germany’s Baltic coast. Several attempts have been made to help him return to deep water, but they all failed. Eventually, the authorities appeared to have accepted defeat, with it being reported that they'd decided it was kinder to let the "majestic animal go in peace."

Now, two millionaires are paying for a new rescue effort. The plan is to use air cushions to lift the whale off the seabed and onto a large tarp that would be used to transport it to deep water. For many observers who want to see Timmy pull through, this development is providing them with some hope.

However, Greenpeace Germany is strongly opposing the plan after contributing to previous rescue efforts. They argue that the whale is already "sick and severely weakened" with visible skin damage showing how much the animal has deteriorated. The group believes there is virtually no chance the whale would survive the newly planned rescue effort, and a high probability it would suffer more harm.

Why the Timmy Rescue Has People Both Celebrating and Furious

A lot of people are extremely happy about the millionaires stepping in to try to save Timmy. One user, @kkl_1211, posted about the millionaires deserving credit for funding the effort. "If the rescue succeeds, these two people and their team must absolutely be honored! In that case, this method should also be used for future stranded whales."

Many Germans are deeply invested in the whale's fate, for extremely understandable reasons. While some of them have focused their energy on praising the new effort to help the animal, others have been more focused on criticizing Greenpeace, accusing them of giving up too soon. One example of that is a user who wrote, "Seems like Greenpeace, much like the greens, has lost its way. Millionaires fund last-ditch rescue operation to free stranded whale named 'Timmy' off Germany."