Dead whale could be abandoned calf's mother

A dead whale found off the south coast of Sydney may turn out to be the mother of the calf that was euthanased just a few hours ago. The adult whale was being eaten by sharks.

Wildlife workers have found the body of a whale which could be the mother of a calf that has attracted so much attention in Australia and around the world. It is believed a whale carcass being eaten by sharks near Eden on the NSW South Coast may have been her mother, explaining why the young whale turned up alone and hungry in Pittwater on Sunday. DNA samples are being taken from the adult whale's carcass and will be compared to samples taken from the calf that was put down this morning. If this indeed is the mother of the celebrity calf, it solves the question of why the calf was alone, but opens questions as to what killed the adult.