Humpback whale “Timmy” autopsied on Danish island – female, cause of death still unknown

A dead humpback whale known as “Timmy” was washed ashore on the Danish island of Anholt after a controversial transport from the Baltic Sea. A team of Danish biologists and veterinarians performed a public autopsy on the beach. They confirmed the animal is a female – the uterus was found and no signs of pregnancy – and reported that no obvious injuries or fishing‑net fragments were detected. Parasites were present but are not believed to have caused the death. The cause of death remains unclear; tissue samples from the kidneys and liver have been taken for analysis that will take several months.

The carcass, which had been swollen by decomposition gases and partially stripped by gulls, was dismantled with a excavator and placed into containers. The containers are scheduled to be shipped to the mainland early next week for processing at a waste‑to‑energy facility. Environmental ministries in Denmark and Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern, as well as NGOs such as Greenpeace, followed the procedure via livestream.

The incident follows earlier strandings of the same whale on the German Baltic coast in March‑April and a privately organised but criticised rescue attempt that moved the animal to the North Sea before it died on Anholt.