Timmy, the humpback whale that made global headlines since being stranded in shallow waters for several weeks, was released into the North Sea on Saturday.

When Timmy the humpback whale became stranded off the coast of northern Germany some 40 days ago, there was little hope that the forlorn creature could be saved.

But on Saturday, Timmy’s ordeal of repeated rescue attempts came to an end, as it was released into the North Sea as a free whale.