German whale saga continues as struggling animal beached again

A humpback whale that experts have been trying to coax out of shallow waters off the German coast has become trapped on a sandbank for the fourth time, rescuers said Tuesday.

After initially freeing itself from a beach close to the city of Wismar on Monday, the animal became stuck in shallow waters again on Tuesday.

The 13.5-metre (44-foot) animal has been struggling in the area for more than a week, having first been spotted in the early hours of March 23 near the city of Luebeck.

The latest developments demonstrate "just how weakened" and "in need of rest" the whale is, Thilo Maack from Greenpeace told journalists in Wismar. 

But the environment minister for the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Till Backhaus, said rescuers were not ready to give up as long as the whale was still showing signs of wanting to swim.

"I'm keeping my fingers crossed and I hope we'll still get a happy ending," he said.

After the whale initially became stuck near the city of Luebeck last week, rescuers tried to free it by making waves and digging a channel with excavators.

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The creature eventually managed to free itself from the sandbank but ran into further difficulty after swimming eastwards.

It became stuck on sandbanks near Wismar twice over the weekend, and experts warned that its breathing rate had reduced.

Since the Baltic is not its natural habitat, experts are hoping it will make its way back to the North Sea and then on to the Atlantic.

The whale is believed to be suffering from skin problems due to the lower level of salt content in the Baltic Sea compared to the open ocean.

It is possible the whale came into the Baltic Sea following a shoal of fish or having been distracted by the noise of a submarine.

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