Australian rangers put down orphan baby whale

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A baby whale which has been trying to suckle from a yacht in a Sydney bay in a futile bid to find its missing mother was given a lethal dose of anesthetic on Friday as its condition deteriorated, Australian wildlife officers said.

"It's a tragic end to a program that dozens of people have put their hearts and souls into," state National Parks and Wildlife Service official John Dengate told Australian radio.

(Reporting by Rob Taylor, editing by Sanjeev Miglani)