AdvertisementEnvironmentConservationWhales First drone footage of a humpback birth shows mum and bub thriving Nick O'Malley July 29, 2026 — 3:50pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. In what is thought to be a world first, a wildlife photographer has captured the birth of a humpback whale using a drone. The birth of a humpback whale was captured by drone for the first time on Monday afternoon. ORRCA drone operators were able to stay with the pair until sunset, observing other whales swim in to inspect the pair, and also recording sharks in their vicinity. Whales, even calves, are unlikely to suffer from predation by sharks, though they may have been drawn to the afterbirth, Post said.