Abandoned Baby Whale Weakens

A baby humpback calf that turned to a yacht for maternal care in Sydney's waterways after being abandoned by its mother will be lucky to survive the week -- unless it finds a more likely guardian. Wildlife officers have grave fears for the young humpback's survival after watching it grow weaker yesterday.

John Dengate, the director of public affairs for the NSW Department of Environment, said: "It has to get humpback whale milk and there is no way that that can be provided in captivity. Unless it finds its mother or a foster mum, its chances are very, very small."

The whale, believed to have been born on the NSW coast two to three weeks ago, was seen in Pittwater, north of Sydney, on Sunday and was found again on Monday in Refuge Bay trying to suckle a whale-sized yacht called Uplift.

"It attached itself to a yacht, it thought the yacht was its mother," Mr Dengate said. "It is very sad." The calf left the yacht after it was towed out to sea about 1km from Barrenjoey Head on Monday. Despite other whales passing the area, the calf turned up at Pittwater again yesterday morning, at Great Mackerel Beach and The Basin.

NSW Parks and Wildlife Service officers monitored the calf throughout the day and consulted with the RSPCA, Sea World and Taronga Zoo over the best way to help the animal. "This may well be nature taking its course but nonetheless we are doing all we can to help," Mr Dengate said. He said it was not uncommon for one or two dead whale calves to be found on NSW beaches each year.

A gray whale calf was successfully reared in captivity in California in 1997, but Mr Dengate said hand-rearing humpbacks was a different story. Gray whales were smaller, had a shorter suckling period and could access their natural food supply close to their release site in California, whereas a released humpback would have to make its way to Antarctica.