An American veterinarian has left the rescue operation for the young humpback whale Timmy who is stuck in shallow waters in Germany.
Dr Jenna Wallace says she made the difficult decision to protect her job. She also believes bad decisions are putting the whale’s life at risk.
The whale, known as Timmy of Hope, has been in trouble for several weeks. Many people around the world are following the story and hoping the animal can return to the sea.
In a Facebook post, Wallace explained why she left after spending 4 days with Timmy and believing he had a chance to survive.
‘Animals over ego’
Wallace described very frustrating events on the morning of 20 April, they day the whale started swimming on his own. She said two men, speaker Sergio Bambaren and influencer Danny Firstclass, made mistakes that stopped the whale’s best chance to swim free. The ‘teamleader’ Bambaren made the three veterinarians wait and ignored their instructions.
“The two men who had a ‘connection with Hope’ compromised his first real chance of freedom right in-front of my eyes,” Wallace explained.
“Mr. Firstclass was so busy filming himself on the phone, trying to talk to Hope and look him in the eye, that he continued to guide Hope back to the shallows and into the bay,” she said.
“He was more focused on recording himself and his ‘relationship’ with Hope that he was doing the opposite of what Hope needed. In fact, he almost had his boat propellor run over Timmy’s fluke,” she added.
“Individuals need to learn to advocate for an animal but then take a step back when help arrives,” Wallace concluded.
After interference from these two men, authorities who ignored her advice, and fearing she could be held responsible for poor decisions, Wallace decided to leave.
She ended her message with heavy emotion: “I am so very sorry Germany, truly, I have cried so hard… Animals over ego. Animals don’t lie ..but people do.”
She emphasized that she had faith in the remaining veterinarians and the German water rescue organization DLRG.
New rescue effort
In a press conference on Friday, German veterinarian Kirsten Tönnies, who recently joined the team, said they are trying to take a blood sample from Timmy, but so far without success. The whale has received some fluids, but not enough.
A large floating transport system is now being prepared to move the whale. Most approvals are in place, although delays have been reported.
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