Schwerin prosecutors investigate complaints over humpback whale death

The Schwerin Public Prosecutor's Office is reviewing a mid-three-digit number of criminal complaints following the death of a humpback whale known as ‘Timmy’. The whale was first sighted in the port of Wismar on March 3 and spent several months near the German Baltic coast.

The complaints involve allegations of violations of animal welfare laws, the Federal Nature Conservation Act, and failure to provide assistance. The investigation is being handled by the Schwerin authorities because the whale spent significant time near the island of Poel, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Wismar District Court.

The whale's death followed a controversial rescue attempt. Despite expert warnings, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's Environment Minister Till Backhaus approved a private initiative's attempt to transport the weakened animal toward the North Sea in late April. After being released in the Skagerrak on May 2, the female whale was found dead near the Danish island of Anholt on May 14.