From: ninemsn.com.au
A humpback whale calf has lost its mother and despite rescue efforts will most likely beach itself over the next few days, a whale expert says.
The calf is only one month old and it has injured itself — most likely by rubbing up against boats at Pittwater off Sydney’s northern beaches.
Observers say the calf has mistaken an 11m yacht for its mother, swimming around the boat and nuzzling it.
The National Parks and Wildlife has stepped in and towed the "mother substitute" yacht away from the harbor.
"We’ve successfully enticed the calf to deeper waters between Broken Bay and West Head, Barrenjoey," said regional manager Chris McIntosh.
"Over the next little while, we’ll experiment to try to separate it from the yacht." But Mr McIntosh said the outlook was not good.
"Most likely it will move around the entrance to Broken Bay and in the next few days will strand itself on a sandbar or beach itself," he said.
"There is a slim chance it might move out to sea… but we can’t predict exactly what might happen."
"It is only one to two months old and would not have been weaned yet from its mother. "
“It can’t be fed, and in fact we wouldn’t know what to feed it."
Helicopters in the area have not yet sighted any other whales but Mr McIntosh said they were hoping later this afternoon it may hook up with another whale or find its mother.
A NSW Department of Environment spokesperson urged the public to stay away from the young whale.
The annual whale migration season is underway and several have been spotted off Sydney beaches in recent days.
Humpbacks breed every one to three years, with a gestation period lasting up to 12 months.
Scientists believe the mammals can live up to 80 years.
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