After several days of rescue efforts, a humpback whale freed itself from a sandbank near Lübeck, a city on Germany’s Baltic coast, according to the BBC.
The mammal was first spotted stranded near Timmendorfer Strand earlier in the week, after becoming stuck on a sandbank. Several rescue attempts followed.
On Thursday, rescue teams worked extensively to create a channel to deeper water and continued operations into the evening under floodlights. According to local officials, the whale became more active and later regained its strength, eventually freeing itself.
On Friday morning, several vessels, including the coast guard, monitored the whale as it swam in deeper water near the shore in Lübeck Bay. As multiple attempts to attach a tracking device failed due to the whale’s condition, officials are hopeful it will find its way to the open sea.
German biologists said the whale still faces a long journey to its natural habitat in the Atlantic Ocean. To reach it, the animal must pass through the Baltic Sea and then the North Sea.
