Doha, Qatar: The first-ever drone footage of a humpback whale giving birth has been captured off the coast of Australia, documenting an exceptionally rare event that is expected to contribute to marine mammal research.
Australia-based photographer Alexander Forrest was filming whale movements on July 28, 2026, when a lone adult humpback caught his attention as it travelled slowly through shallow waters.
Initially, Forrest thought the whale might have been sleeping because of its unusually slow movement. Anticipating a chance to capture the whale surfacing for a breath, he began recording when it rose to the surface.
Instead of exhaling, however, the whale gave birth to a calf.
The newborn immediately swam to the surface to take its first breaths, while its mother quickly turned to locate her calf.
"It was extraordinary - my adrenaline was through the roof, and it echoes into the footage," Forrest wrote in the caption accompanying the video shared on Instagram.
He immediately reported the sighting to ORRCA (Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia). Fellow ORRCA drone pilot Tanya Snowden and photographer Dominic Cotter-Dephoff later joined him to continue documenting the mother and calf's behaviour until sunset while the organisation's research team recorded behavioural and observational data.
According to Forrest, the footage will undergo in-depth scientific analysis and form the basis of a peer-reviewed scientific note.
"This footage joins only four complete documentations of humpback whale birth, aiding research into humpback whale reproduction, maternal behaviour and the earliest stages of a calf's life," he said.
Forrest added: "Watching this unfold in front of me, I wasn't just a filmmaker or a photographer. I was a spectator."
To protect the mother and her newborn calf, Forrest said he would not disclose the exact location of the sighting.
