Drone captures amazing killer whale footage
Drones are often held up as a nightmarish foreshadowing of a dystopian future in which unmanned death planes can rain hell from the sky – but they can also be used for much nicer things too. Check out this astonishing footage of some killer whales.
It was posted last month by Vancouver Aquarium, and shows how drones have been used to monitor whales in the wild for the first time:
“For the first time ever, researchers have used an unmanned hexacopter to monitor killer whales in the wild.
In August 2014, Dr. Lance Barrett-Lennard, Vancouver Aquarium Senior Marine Mammal Scientist, collaborated with Dr. John Durban and Dr. Holly Fearnbach from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to use the hexacopter in the field.
Researchers will use the 30,000 photographs taken during 60 flights to assess northern resident killer whale health. From above, the scientists can assess their girth and determine whether the killer whales are sickly or pregnant. These photographs have already revealed several pregnancies, previously undetectable. This information will help guide management of the protected northern resident killer whale population, as well as the endangered southern resident population.“The APH-22 marine hexacopter was built by custom aerial photography company Aerial Imaging Solutions and is owned by NOAA. Its use was authorized by a marine mammal research license issued by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, a special flight certificate from Transport Canada, and animal care permits. The team of scientists also assessed the impact of the hexacopter itself on the animals, and they were able to determine that it went unnoticed by the whales.
No need to worry too – though loud on the video, the whales apparently couldn’t hear the noise from down below!
