Colin would have died: autopsy

REUTERS: Results of an autopsy carried out on a whale calf that was put down by wildlife authorities in Sydney during August show it was suffering from a terminal condition.

The infant humpback whale, nicknamed Colin, was found abandoned by its mother at Pittwater and despite some protests, it was put down by wildlife workers.

A Taronga Zoo spokesman said the autopsy results revealed the calf was male and that it was basically starving to death.

"The autopsy showed it was emaciated. It would have been ridiculous to try to feed the animal when it was starving to death." he concluded.