Humpback whale appears close to shore in Międzyzdroje. Rescue operation in the Baltic Sea

A humpback whale, or oceanic longfin whale, showed up near the shore at the height of the fishing base in Międzyzdroje. Since humpback whales appear in the Baltic waters extremely rarely, the event aroused great curiosity. However, it turned out that the animal was entangled in a net. Firefighters and SAR rescuers, among others, rushed to help it, trying to free the mammal.

On Wednesday, a humpback whale was spotted a few hundred meters offshore in Międzyzdroje. The animal became entangled in the net, which is why it was necessary to start an operation to help the humpback. Photos from the scene were posted on his social media profile by the director of the Maritime Search and Rescue Service, Sebastian Kluska .

"Okay, catch the hit . There was a wolf in Łeba, a dog on the Bug River and now a humpback whale. In the vicinity of Dziwnów in the Wolin National Park, BSR Dziwnów helps to untangle the animal," he wrote.

Humpback whales in the Baltic Sea are an unusual sight . They sometimes enter these areas during their migrations, but they do so very rarely, so seeing a mammal so close to the shore is unusual and has aroused great interest.

Maritime Office spokeswoman Ewa Wieczorek told PAP that the authority had received information about the animal, but it was rather imprecise. The first reports said that the humpback whale was 400 m from the shore, later it was 200 m. In turn, local media reported that it was stuck just 80 m from the shoreline .

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The rescue operation is still ongoing - it is taking place in the Wolin National Park . There are firefighters from the OSP and PSP Międzyzdroje, WOPR, SAR rescuers, employees of the Maritime Office in Szczecin and Wolin National Park. Rescuers are trying to free the animal so as not to expose it to stress and injuries.