Sydney
When a young humpback whale somehow found its way last week into Sydney's Pittwater, at the mouth of the Hawkesbury River, its heart-rending plight drew international attention.
But the case of Colin, as the ill-fated calf was dubbed, was not unique - much of Sydney's wildlife is in peril.
The city's environment is fighting a losing battle against development and its side effects, including pollution, pleasure boats and abnormal threats like alien seaweeds that have escaped from home aquariums. And with Australia's largest city at 5 million people and still growing, and developers keen to cash in on its glamorous image, beautiful beaches and world-famous harbour, freshwater supplies are barely enough to keep pace.
Even Sydney's harbour, an unusual marine environment that contains hundreds of species of fish, is under threat. An introduced variety of seaweed used in home aquariums called Caulerpa has spread around much of the harbour, from people flushing it down drains.
Whale experts are still unsure what happened to Colin's mother.
But Jean Meaney, a member of the Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia, which was involved in the bid to save the whale, said she may have been hit by a boat.