Abandoned baby humpback euthanised
Updated
!['Colin' the abandoned whale calf has been killed, after attempts to save him failed. [ABC]](http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/img/news/base/aus_colinwhale_abc_190808.jpg?<BR> "'Colin' the abandoned whale calf has been killed, after attempts to save him failed. [ABC]")
'Colin' the abandoned whale calf has been killed, after attempts to save him failed. [ABC]
A baby humpback whale abandoned by its mother off Sydney's northern beaches has been put down.
The calf, nicknamed Colin, was found earlier this week and has been unable to feed since being separated from its mother.
Wildlife workers decided to kill the animal after its condition deteriorated rapidly.
The whale was given a sedative on Friday morning to make it calm and then given a lethal dose of anaesthetic.
Government environment officials says a small group of people gathered at Pittwater to voice their objections to the operation.
But authorities defended their decision, saying they tried everything to save the whale before its condition deteriorated.
An examination will now be carried out to try and determine why the calf was abandoned by its mother.
The whale had been attempting to suckle yachts in Pittwater as its desperation for milk increased.
Various schemes, including towing it back to sea using inflatable Defence Force fuel bladders, had been proposed.
