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Outlook worsens for whale stranded on German coast / Photo: Jens Büttner - dpa/AFP
Outlook worsens for whale stranded on German coast
The health of a humpback whale stranded on Germany's Baltic Sea coast is deteriorating, conservationists said Tuesday, as efforts to free the animal continued.
The 10-metre (33-foot) long whale was first spotted stuck in shallow water close to Niendorf near the city of Luebeck early on Monday.
Rescuers have been trying since to get it back into deeper water, so far without success.
Carsten Manheimer of the marine conservation group Sea Shepherd told AFP that the whale had developed a skin condition resembling barnacles due to the water's low salinity.
"It is impossible to pull the whale out to sea," Manheimer said, adding that the animal was weak and that such an operation may do more harm than good.
On Monday, boats were used to generate waves in an effort to help the whale return to deeper water, without success.
However, rescuers did manage to partially free the whale from the netting that had become wrapped around its body.
Police said they had erected fencing on the beach to ensure the whale is not disturbed by onlookers.
Further discussions about possible rescue options for the animal were expected for Tuesday.
Manheimer said his group was "on standby in case the experts still see a way" to help the whale.
It is possible that the stranded animal is the same whale that became entangled in a fishing net further east along Germany's Baltic Sea coast earlier this month.
A week before that, a whale had likewise been sighted in the Baltic port of Wismar.
M.Schwarz--BlnAP
