- Drone footage shows a speedboat striking an endangered whale calf off New South Wales coast
- The collision caused occupants to tumble but both whales escaped without major injuries
- Only one mother and calf pair is known in NSW waters this whale season, says NSW wildlife service
A harrowing drone video has captured the moment a speedboat collided with an endangered whale calf off the coast of New South Wales. The impact clipped the calf's back and sent the boat's occupants tumbling. The collision was captured on a drone by photographer Michael Hatte, who was filming the whale mother and calf near Stanwell Park. He expressed his helplessness in preventing the accident as the boat drew closer to the whales.
The video shows a small speedboat running over the whale calf, sending the three occupants tumbling. After the impact, the calf dove deeper into the water to rest beside its mother. Fortunately, both the whale and calf escaped without major injuries.
"I had already stopped filming, but could see the boat heading straight for the pair that were just below the surface. I pressed record and captured the whole event, which is 3 seconds long. Bub moving it's head just at the right time, impact could have been devastating," Mr Hatte wrote while sharing the video on his Instagram page.
Watch the video here:
"It was absolutely horrific," Michael Hatte later told Yahoo News, describing the moment. "I'm not an emotional guy, but I was absolutely gutted after the incident," he said.
The footage has gone viral, sparking widespread concern and outrage over the incident. A NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service spokesperson said the footage was "alarming", considering only a handful of calves are born each year in NSW.
"This is the only mother and calf pair known in NSW waters so far this season. Boaties must keep an active lookout to avoid this happening again during the whale season," they said in a statement.
Southern right whales, an endangered species, are slowly recovering from decades of commercial whaling, but still face significant challenges. Whale scientist Dr. Vanessa Pirotta described the recent incident as "tragic", emphasising the need for boaters to be vigilant, especially during the May to November migration period when these whales are most active.
Whale expert Dr. Barry McGovern of the Pacific Whales Foundation noted that southern right whales tend to swim just below the surface, making them difficult to spot, which can increase the risk of collisions with boats.
"They also don't have dorsal fins like your humpback whales so they can be really difficult to see and if you're travelling at speed it can be very easy to miss them, to not see them. The larger boats can really impact them," he said.
