German scientists enduring months of hate after stranded whale dies

Months after the death of a whale that made headlines across Europe when it washed up on a German beach, the scientists who were initially caring for the mammal say they are still facing abuse and death threats, reported dpa.

"We have been subjected to a storm of abuse since around mid-March and continue to be so to this day," a spokeswoman at the German Oceanographic Museum told dpa.

Hate mail is being posted to various scientists and museum departments, she said, after the death of the whale which was repeatedly stranded off the German Baltic Coast.

Officials were initially undecided about how to handle the whale's situation and eventually a private group towed it to the North Sea and released it, though scientists advised against doing so. The whale's body was later found off Denmark.

The debate about the whale, which was nicknamed Timmy, gained further international attention when a popular influencer intervened, repeatedly questioning the scientists and NGOs involved. "The hateful comments, hostility and threats began on social media, in emails and phone calls, and they continue to this day," said the spokeswoman.

Some called to burn the museum to the ground, or said they hoped staff would go to hell. One wrote, "I'll tear you to pieces in public - that's not a threat, but a promise."

The level of hostility intensified when the museum and specialists said the whale should be allowed to die in peace, the spokeswoman said. Numerous groups had formed "to stir up hatred against us."

Counter to experts' advice to leave the whale in peace, Till Backhaus, environment minister in the coastal state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, permitted a private group to try and transport the whale to open sea in mid-April. The whale was then found dead off the Danish island of Anholt in mid-May.