A baby sperm whale was spotted struggling to swim among a floating pile of rubbish in Thailand.

The marine creature was found by fishermen while they sailed off the coast of Racha island in Phuket province on June 16.

It reportedly appeared exhausted amid the trash that polluted the waters.

Footage shows the baby whale emerging from the water next to plastic pollution. Another clip showed the whale moving closer to the boat.

Phuket Marine Biological Centre chief Dr Kongkiat Kittiwatanawong said: ‘It could be the young whale we rescued last year after it lost its mother. We hope to find it soon.'

However, when officers visited the area where it was last seen, the whale had already left.

Officers are still looking for the whale so they can conduct a physical examination.

Sperm whales are the largest toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. They were heavily hunted for their oil which dwindled their population. The International Union currently categorizes them for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as vulnerable.