Heartbreaking photo of dolphin carrying dead baby goes viral

Moon has been spotted carrying her dead calf with her. Photo / Facebook

A heartbreaking photo of a dolphin carrying her dead calf through waters in Perth, Western Australia, has gone viral.

Western Australia's Parks and Wildlife shared the image of the dolphin named Moon on Tuesday, saying it was a "sad outcome" for the area's new calves.

The calf died after becoming entangled in a crab pot.

"The calf was found deceased in Claremont Bay after becoming entangled in a crab pot," the organisation wrote on Facebook.

"Mother Moon was swimming alongside the calf when the pair was located by the Parks and Wildlife Service on Monday after being reported by a member of the public.

"The dead calf has since been freed from the crab pot, but remains in the water with the mother dolphin as she grieves.

"Dolphins are highly intelligent creatures and are known to stay with their young for a period of time following a death."

The department says it will continue to monitor the pair and remove the dead calf from mum "when appropriate to do so".

"We ask the public to stay well away from the dolphin and her dead calf during this time," the post said.

People on Facebook are mourning the loss of the baby dolphin.

"So sad and so preventable," a Facebook user wrote.

"Sadness caused by carelessness of people," another person said.