Humpback Whale Freed After Tense Rescue

0:00It's March 27th. This is Global News Today, driven by AI tracking the world in real time. A humpback whale stranded in shallow waters off the North German coast has been successfully freed by rescue teams after several tense days. The massive creature, measuring between 39 and 49 feet long and weighing several tons, got tangled in fishing nets near Timendorfer. Strand on the Baltic Sea spotted on Monday, it drew quick attention from experts worried about its survival in such shallow conditions. Earlier this week, conservationists noted that the Baltic isn't a typical home for humpback whales, suggesting it might have chased food there. Rescue efforts kicked off Tuesday, with teens from Sea Shepherd, the Coast Guard, and Fire Department trying various methods to help it. They first rotated the whale to face deeper water, then used boats to generate big waves, but nothing worked right away. Experts held off on forceful poles to avoid injury. Nothing instead to digging a channel with heavy equipment by Thursday, all while keeping

1:02the whale, calm amid the noise. That patient approach paid off Thursday evening when the whale started inching through the new path, responding to encouraging sounds from the team, with its own hums. By early Friday morning, it had swam out of Lubek Bay nearly a thousand feet offshore. Now accompanied by Coast Guard ships and other vessels, the whale faces a tricky route past Danish islands through the North Sea and into the Atlantic, giving everyone hope for a full recovery.