A humpback whale, recently freed after several days trapped in shallow waters off a Baltic Sea resort in Germany, has become stranded again, unable to find its way back to the Atlantic Ocean. The initial, complex rescue of the 12-15 metre (39-49 feet) mammal from a sandbank at Timmendorfer Strand beach earlier this week had captivated the nation. Germans followed its progress intently, with media outlets issuing news alerts and streaming live video, making the whale a widespread topic of conversation.
Efforts to free the creature on Thursday involved an excavator digging an escape channel, following earlier unsuccessful attempts to coax it into deeper water using coast guard and fire department boats to generate large waves. Despite these extensive efforts, the whale found itself in difficulty once more on Saturday.
