Germany Holds Breath As Stranded Whale Timmy Sets Off In Barge

A special boat carrying a stranded humpback whale whose weeks-long struggle to survive has captured hearts in Germany set off for the open seas on Tuesday evening in a last-ditch rescue attempt. 

Rescuers had earlier succeeded in coaxing the animal into the barge, which has a water-filled hold and is usually used to carry other boats, in an attempt to return it to its natural



habitat.

The whale, dubbed "Timmy" by German media, and its ordeal have gripped the country since it beached on a sandbank in late March near the city of Luebeck on the Baltic Sea coast, far from its natural home in the Atlantic Ocean. 

The latest rescue effort -- financed by two entrepreneurs -- was seen as a long shot and has been criticised by experts who said it would only cause the animal more distress.