Baby Whale Adoption Attempt Fails

Attempts to lure a stranded baby humpback whale back to sea off Sydney have failed, the New South Wales Government says.

The calf, believed to be about two to three weeks old, was apparently abandoned by its mother in waters just north of Sydney. It was first spotted on Sunday in the Pittwater area, nuzzling up to a yacht in an apparent search for its mother.

Authorities have said the baby whale needs its mother, or another whale to adopt it, within days if it is to have any hope of survival. An attempt was made this morning to lure the calf out to sea in the hope it would be adopted by a passing pod of whales.