ORRCA pilot Alexander Forrest films believed 1st aerial humpback birth
A drone pilot in Australia just made history by filming a humpback whale giving birth from above for what is believed to be the first time ever.
Alexander Forrest, flying for ORRCA, spotted a whale moving slowly during the annual migration and ended up capturing the incredible moment on July 28.
Footage could inform mother-calf care
The video shows the newborn calf surfacing for its first breath, with Forrest saying, "I realized I was witnessing something incredibly rare."
ORRCA's research head, Annie Post, says this is thought to be not only the first aerial footage of a humpback birth, but just the fourth time a birth has been documented in published observations.
The charity hopes this rare view will help it learn more about how mother whales care for their calves and interact with other whales during migration.