Overview
- A drone flown by Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia volunteer Alexander Forrest recorded a humpback whale giving birth on Tuesday, July 28, showing a newborn calf emerge and take its first breath at the surface.
- ORRCA staff monitored the mother and calf for several hours after the sighting, said they kept to New South Wales distance rules for marine mammals, and are withholding the precise location to avoid disturbing the pair.
- The group says the video is likely the first drone recording of a humpback birth and only the fourth complete humpback birth ever filmed, making the footage exceptionally rare for scientists.
- ORRCA and university researchers plan to analyze the video and field notes with the aim of publishing in a peer‑reviewed journal to better understand maternal behaviour and early calf survival.
- The sighting highlights how drone technology can gather high‑resolution data from a safe distance and may prompt rethinking of where humpbacks give birth as protected populations recover from commercial whaling.