Young whale bonds with yacht

A lost humpback whale calf has bonded with a yacht it seems to think is its mother, according to reports in Australia.

The one to two-month-old calf was first sighted in the waters off north Sydney yesterday, and today tried to suckle from a yacht, which it would not leave.

ABC and Channel 10 television news reports that rescuers towed the yacht out to sea, and the calf finally detached from the boat, but still swam nearby.

National Parks and Wildlife regional manager Chris McIntosh told ABC radio that the outlook was not good since the calf cannot be fed. The calf appears exhausted but rescuers hope it will continue out to sea and search for its mother or another pod of whales.