German minister defends ‘perfectly human’ decision to allow attempt to rescue whale Timmy

The whale had been stranded on a sandbank and was said to have been lethargic, weak and ‘severely compromised’. Photograph: Action Press/Shutterstock

The German authorities have defended their decision to allow a risky rescue attempt of a stranded whale to go ahead, despite experts warning it was “inadvisable” because the animal was hurt and unlikely to survive.

The saga of the whale, known as Timmy, had gripped Germany since the beached humpback was spotted stranded on Timmendorfer beach, a sandbank in shallow waters near the coast, nearly two months ago.