Rescuers to use air cushions in latest effort to save stranded whale

"Timmy" has been stranded in the Baltic Sea for weeks despite several attempts to free the ailing animal.

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The whale, nicknamed Timmy by local media, was first spotted in the Baltic Sea, far from its natural habitat, at the beginning of March and is currently stuck in a shallow coastal area off the island of Poel.

A private company plans to refloat the injured mammal from the sea floor by its flippers and onto a tarp attached to a tug boat, officials said.

The state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania described this as a "minimally invasive" approach - but wildlife experts said any interventions carried considerable risk after previous rescue attempts failed.

They had concluded the chance of survival was very low. However, the German state's environment minister Till Backhaus said a reassessment had found a less intrusive approach.