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This whale calf was found stranded near Yamba at the weekend
Staff from Dolphin Marine Magic were called to assist in the treatment and care of a stranded whale calf on a beach south of Yamba.

DMM staff travelled to the beach and worked with volunteers from ORRCA to stabilise the whale for several hours on Saturday until veterinary assistance arrived. Veterinary inspection of the whale revealed that it was an extremely young Melonhead Whale calf and therefore unable to be released back into the ocean.

"The size of the whale and its lack of developed teeth indicates that this was a young calf still highly dependent on its mother for survival," DMM Veterinarian Dr Duan March said.

"The animal was heavily emaciated and in very poor body condition which suggests it had been separated from its mother and had not been feeding for some time.

"Unfortunately in cases like this the kindest option to the animal is humane euthanasia rather than starvation in the ocean."

In related news, a mother and calf pair of Dwarf Sperm Whales washed up dead on a beach near Byron Bay earlier that morning. The bodies of the whale calves from both Byron Bay and Yamba are being transported to Coffs Harbour for post-mortem examinations by DMM staff.

"Although these two situations had a sad outcome, we can still learn a lot from these whales,"Dr March said.

"The information gained from the post-mortem examinations will increase our knowledge and understanding of these stranding events as well as giving us an indication of the health of whale populations off the coast of Eastern Australia.

"This knowledge can also be used to assist us in saving other whales and dolphins in the future.