Lost Baby Humpback Could Be Killed By Sharks, Beach Itself .....?

The story from Australia:

Rescuers say a baby humpback whale separated from its mother in Sydney's north is at risk of being eaten by a shark.

The whale was found at Pittwater on the weekend and rescuers lured it out to Broken Head Bay yesterday in the hope it would head for open sea and find its mother.

National Parks and Wildlife Service spokesman Chris McIntosh says the calf now appears to be heading back towards Pittwater.

He says the whale is getting weaker, putting it at risk of a shark attack.

"As it runs out of body reserves, it may beach itself or simply slip away from us in shallow water," he said.

"As that happens it does become a little bit susceptible to predators."

Mr McIntosh says the five-tonne calf has most likely been rejected by its mother, and taking it into captivity is not an option.

"It is important for people to recognise even though it's a calf, it's a substantial sized animal and therefore the options are very limited once you start to intervene in what is an unpleasant but natural process," he said.

Earlier, the whale seemed to think that a yacht was its mother. Do you mean to tell me that we haven't created a yacht which can breastfeed? Come on people, it's the 21st century -- we already have solar powered vibrators and robotic lawnmowers. Yet when it comes to humpback whale milk, our yachts are running dry.

Australian media say a lost humpback whale calf has bonded with a yacht it seems to think is its mother.

The 1- to 2-month-old calf was first sighted Sunday in waters off north Sydney, and on Monday tried to suckle from a yacht, which it would not leave.

Rescuers towed the yacht out to sea, and the calf finally detached from the boat but still swam nearby, Australian Broadcasting Corp. and Channel 10 television news reported.

The calf appears exhausted but rescuers hope it will continue out to sea and search for its mother or another pod of whales.

"The outlook is not good, but we are giving the calf its only option. It can't be fed, and in fact we wouldn't know what to feed it" because it is not weaned, National Parks and Wildlife regional manager Chris McIntosh told ABC radio.