- A drone captured a humpback whale giving birth off New South Wales coast
- The whale gave birth alone, swimming behind the pod at a slow pace
- This is believed to be the first drone recording of a humpback whale birth
A rare moment in the ocean has been captured on camera after a drone recorded a humpback whale giving birth off the coast of New South Wales. Researchers say the footage could help improve understanding of humpback whale births, reported ABC.
Drone pilot Alex Forrest captured the rare sighting while filming whales about 700 metres off the shore at Kingscliff on Tuesday afternoon.
A volunteer with the Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA), noticed a humpback whale swimming behind the pod and started recording.
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Forrest said there was one female whale going unusually slow, but she was not sleeping. ORRCA said he filmed the whales from a distance of more than 100 metres in compliance with the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Regulation.
Macquarie University whale scientist Vanessa Pirotta described the sighting as an incredible moment. She said people watch humpback whales every year because they are the world's most watched whale. She also said that when a baby is ready to come, it will come, and the fact that the baby knew exactly what to do by rising to the surface made it a very special moment.
ORRCA said it believes this is the first drone recording of a humpback whale birth and only the fourth time such an event has been filmed. ORRCA head of research Annie Post said the footage would help researchers compare it with other documented whale births around the world. She said the whale appeared to be travelling alone when she gave birth, allowing comparisons with other cases where whales had been escorted.
