Drone captures heartbreaking vision of mother whale and calf trapped in shark net

CALLS to remove shark nets in Queensland have intensified after footage showed a humpback calf trapped and struggling to breathe off Noosa.

The footage, captured on the Sunshine Coast, showed the calf’s mother fighting to help it reach the surface.

Geoff Aquino, who filmed the incident with a drone, said it was distressing.

“In eight and a half years of filming whales and marine life, I have never witnessed anything this horrific,” he said.

“This is not the content I ever want to post. It is disheartening, disgraceful and enraging, and I was forced to witness it, right here where I call home.”

The video shows the calf battling relentlessly to break free. It was eventually released later that night, although the mother continued to drag debris.

“These incredible animals come to our warmer waters to birth their calves, something they should be able to do without the threat of ineffective shark nets,” a spokesperson from Sea Shepherd Australia said.

The Humane World for Animals Australia said the incident comes days after another mother-calf pair was caught in shark nets near Rainbow Beach.

People are urged to call the Shark Control Program Hotline on 1800 806 891 to report whales and other marine animals entangled in shark nets or drumlines.