Baby whale euthanised
2006-07-18 10:13
Sydney, Australia - Australian wildlife officials on Tuesday euthanised a baby humpback whale that was stranded on an eastern Australian beach, saying it had virtually no chance of survival without its mother.
Dozens of volunteers joined with local marine authorities to try to save the 3.5-metre whale after it became stranded on Cabarita Beach in northern New South Wales state on Monday.
Rescuers sent a helicopter to locate the whale's mother, but found no trace.
"We have been up in the helicopter and there's nothing that remotely looks like an animal concerned about this calf, so its mother is not hanging around," said David Blyde, a veterinarian at Australia's SeaWorld.
"Without its mother it has zero chance of survival out there."
Blyde said authorities decided to give the whale calf a lethal dose of anaesthetic.
"If we'd put it back in the water the best-case scenario is that it will starve to death. The worst scenario is that some sharks will come and rip it apart," he said.
A spokesperson for the state's Parks and Wildlife department, Lawrence Orel, said it was a difficult decision.
"If the animal was put back to sea without its mother, it would simply drown or starve or be taken by sharks," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
"So given those options, it's really been a decision taken in the best interests of the animal."
- AP