A stranded whale in Germany’s Baltic Sea weakens as hopes of its return to the Atlantic fade

BERLIN (AP) — A stranded humpback whale in Germany ’s Baltic Sea looks weaker, and experts fear it won’t be able to find its way back to the Atlantic despite several attempts at its rescue this week.

A 500-meter (yards) restricted area was enforced around the whale so it could get some rest and hopefully free itself, officials said Sunday in a news conference in the eastern German coastal town of Wismar, near where the giant cetacean has been stuck.

“He would be able to do so if he regains his strength, and that is why we decided to leave him alone, allowing him to actually set off and then successfully leave this area," said Till Backhaus, the environment minister of the state of Mecklenburg-Pomerania, where Wismar is located.

“But we also have to assume that he is weakened. And he is also sick,” said Backhaus, adding that the humpback whale may have injuries because it came into contact with a fishing net.

Previous efforts to rescue the 12-15 meter (39-49 feet) whale off a sandbank at Timmendorfer Strand beach and in the Wismar Bay with t he help of an excavator and boats, creating large waves to help it swim free earlier this week, captivated Germans — with media sending news alerts of updates on its progress and streaming live video from the scene.

The whale also became a popular topic of conversation across the country, with people exchanging text messages about rescue efforts.

But by now, hopes are dimming that the whale is still strong enough to swim free and find its way back to the Atlantic through German and Danish waters.

“It is very noticeable that the animal is showing significantly less activity,” said Stefanie Groß from the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover. “Its respiratory rate has dropped considerably. The animal is not moving. It did not react even when we drove closer.”

It is not clear why the whale swam into the Baltic Sea. Some experts say the animal may have lost its way when it swam after a shoal of herring, or during migration, as it is most likely a male.

The marine mammal cannot survive in the Baltic Sea long-term as the salt concentration of the water isn’t high enough. It has already developed a skin disease. Another issue is that it can't find the right kind of nutrition it needs, though whales can go without food for weeks.

If it is to survive, it will need to return to the Atlantic Ocean via the North Sea.

“When you consider how narrow the straits are and that there are still about 500 kilometers (310 miles) to go, you realize that it’s a real bottleneck you have to navigate, and naturally, the chances of success are relatively slim," said Burkard Baschek, the director of the German Maritime Museum in Stralsund.

The whale was first spotted swimming in the Baltic on March 3, but reports of it being stranded surfaced last week.

A humpback whale swims in the Baltic Sea, accompanied by an inflatable boat, after freeing itself the night before from being stranded off Niendorf in Timmendorfer Strand, Germany, Friday March 27, 2026. (Marcus Brandt/dpa via AP)

Environmentalists are close to a humpback whale in the Wismar Bay near Wismar, Germany, Sunday, March 29, 2026. (Philip Dulian/dpa via AP)

Three water birds sit on a humpback whale in the Wismar Bay near Wismar, Germany, Sunday, March 29, 2026. (Philip Dulian/dpa via AP)

The humpback whale stranded again in Wismar Bay near Wismar, Germany, Saturday, March 28, 2026, after freeing itself the night before from being stranded off Niendorf in Timmendorfer Strand. (Ferdinand Merzbach/NEWS5/dpa via AP)

A stranded humbpack whale swims in the waters of the Baltic Sea in front of the pier at Niendorf harbor, Germany, Wednesday March 25, 2026, as rescue attempts continue after the police cordoned off the area so as not to alarm the animal. (Marcus Brandt/dpa via AP)

Robert Marc Lehmann, biologist, examines a stranded whale in the Baltic Sea in Timmendorfer Strand, Germany, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (Daniel Bockwoldt/dpa via AP)

A whale lies on a sandbank in the Bay of Wismar, Germany, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Philip Dulian/dpa via AP)

A whale lies on a sandbank in the Bay of Wismar, Germany, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Philip Dulian/dpa via AP)

CHESSY, France (AP) — A 118-foot mountain of ice rose over the suburban Paris countryside this weekend as Disney opened its Arendelle kingdom to the world — Elsa’s palace glowing at the summit, a “Frozen” Nordic fishing village below, and the company’s new CEO standing before a crowd of celebrities.

World of Frozen, an immersive land themed to the blockbuster animated franchise, opened Sunday as the centerpiece of a 2 billion euro ($2.18 billion) transformation at Disneyland Paris.

The transformation renames one of the two theme parks at the Disneyland Paris complex from Walt Disney Studios Park to Disney Adventure World. The inauguration drew Penélope Cruz, Naomi Campbell and Teyana Taylor.

It is the largest expansion in the 34-year history of Disneyland Paris, and one node in a roughly $60 billion global buildout of Disney’s parks, resorts and cruise lines.

It is also the first major international stage for Josh D’Amaro, who took over as Disney’s chief executive on March 18 — just 11 days before the French gates opened — after nearly three decades in the company’s theme parks division.

The parks-and-experiences business generated about 57% of the company’s $17.5 billion in segment operating income last year, the force that observers say propelled D’Amaro from parks chief to the corner office.

An Associated Press journalist accompanied D’Amaro on the “Frozen” ride Saturday night.

The carriage splashed through water to childlike cheers from riders and laughter from the new chief executive as they glided past singing Elsa in the dark. Some stepped off lightly wet.

“The Walt Disney Company was built on one man’s dream, and for more than 100 years we’ve shared that dream with the world,” D’Amaro told the inauguration crowd.

“Storytelling is fundamental to everything that we do, whether that’s on screen or stage, in our theme parks, on our cruise ships, or even at home.”

He called the opening “a transformational moment” and paid tribute to the creative team behind the land, including “Frozen” writer-director Jennifer Lee — all now at work on “Frozen 3.”

On Friday, D’Amaro had stood alongside Emmanuel Macron at the resort.

The French president used the visit to claim the park as a national economic asset, calling Disneyland Paris “the leading tourist destination in Europe” and describing it as “a genuine ecosystem of success.”

Macron said the latest expansion would create 1,000 additional direct jobs.

“Since the beginning, that’s 13 billion euros invested on this territory,” Macron said.

Disneyland Paris says the resort now employs more than 20,000 people, supports 70,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs, and has recorded more than 445 million visits since 1992 — accounting for 6.1% of France’s national tourism revenue.

Macron’s presence underscored a remarkable reversal.

When the park opened as Euro Disney in 1992, French intellectuals derided it as a “cultural Chernobyl.” Now a French president was standing in front of cameras calling it an engine of national prosperity.

It is no coincidence that “Frozen” and “Tangled” — the two stories anchoring Disney’s new lineup at its sole European resort — both trace their roots to European folklore.

“Frozen” draws loosely from “The Snow Queen”; the new Tangled family ride recalls the Brothers Grimm’s Rapunzel.

“Frozen, of course, has its roots in European storytelling,” said Michel den Dulk of Walt Disney Imagineering.

“It’s very loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen. So to have a northern European, charming wooden little village here in Disneyland Paris, where you can see your favorite Frozen characters — it just made sense.”

The land recreates Arendelle around a lagoon, its timber buildings painted in muted Scandinavian pastels, facades adorned with rosemaling, a traditional Norwegian decorative art.

At the center is Frozen Ever After, a boat ride featuring state-of-the-art animatronics and immersive projection effects.

Guests can meet Anna and Elsa inside Arendelle Castle, have a conversation with a responsive baby troll named Mossy who talks back, and watch a lagoon celebration called the Snow Flower Festival — featuring an original song.

A next-generation robotic Olaf roams the land.

Beyond World of Frozen, the rebranded park brings a vast new lake called Adventure Bay, a Tangled family ride, 15 new dining locations — including the posh Regal View Restaurant — and a nighttime spectacular called Disney Cascade of Lights featuring more than 380 drones.

A Lion King land, already under construction, will follow.

More than 90% of the second park’s offerings will have been redesigned since it opened in 2002, and Disney says the footprint will roughly double once the full transformation is complete.

Disney's streaming has swung from deep losses to profitability, but the parks remain the company’s most dependable earnings engine — and D’Amaro is the man who ran them.

“We continue to dream bigger and bring stories to life in brand new ways,” D’Amaro told the crowd.

Pyrotechnics lit up Arendelle Village.

The ice palace on the mountain turned blue.

And 34 years after Euro Disney became a punchline, a brand-new kingdom opened in the fields east of Paris — for the first time in forever.

The new theme World of Frozen is pictured during its inauguration at Disneyland Paris in Marne-la-Vallee, east of Paris, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

The new theme World of Frozen is pictured during its inauguration at Disneyland Paris in Marne-la-Vallee, east of Paris, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Visitors enjoy the new theme World of Frozen during its inauguration at Disneyland Paris in Marne-la-Vallee, east of Paris, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Dancers perform during the inauguration of Disney Adventure World and World Of Frozen at Disneyland Paris in Marne-la-Vallee, east of Paris, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)