“Um I think that its mother has rejected it and its , and the mother’s moved on.”
Other experts suggest its mother may have died and the calf may be an orphan.
According to Mackintosh, rescuers towed one yacht out to sea and the calf finally detached from the boat, but it returned to an inlet near Sydney on Tuesday morning.
“It’s, it’s moved back in here. Um…it’s still showing a suckling habit. It’s quietly going around from boat to boat, which confirms that it is a young calf and probably still was suckling and relying on its mother.”
Officials said hand feeding would be impossible and they believed the calf’s only chance was to find another female whale to accept it.
“The calf really needs its mum’s milk. It’s a desperate situation for that young calf without its mother’s milk.”