A DNA analysis has raised doubts about whether a humpback whale found dead off the Danish island of Anholt in May was the beloved Baltic Sea visitor known as Timmy, or Hope. Two tissue samples showed deviations so large they may not even originate from the same species, veterinarian Kirsten Tönnies said following tests conducted by an anonymous Chinese laboratory.
The reliability of the findings has been questioned, as it remains unclear who collected the second sample and whether the specimens were stored correctly. Most other members of the rescue team have distanced themselves from Tönnies' conclusions. Veterinarian Anne Herrschaft said she has no doubt the whale washed up at Anholt was Timmy, and a tracker recovered from the carcass matched the one fitted to Timmy.
The whale first appeared in the Baltic Sea in early March, stranded near Timmendorfer Strand on March 23, and was transported to the North Sea and released on May 2 before washing up dead at Anholt on May 14.