LUEBECK, Germany: A humpback whale stranded on Germany´s Baltic Sea coast since early this week has freed itself and swum into deeper waters, rescuers said on Friday.
A flotilla of vessels were following the weakened animal at a distance, hoping to help guide it into the North Sea and toward the Atlantic Ocean, its natural habitat.
The roughly 10-metre- (33-foot-) long sea mammal was first spotted on Monday stuck in shallow water close to Niendorf near the northern city of Luebeck.
That set off days of intensive efforts using boats to make waves, then excavators to dig up sand and free the whale, as fears grew for its life.
