Humpback whale mother fends off a pod of killer whales trying to attack her calf off the coast of Western Australia
- Fisherman Shane Stephen and a friend captured the rare drone footage
- In a series of attacks, the killer whales took it in turns to distract the mother
- He described the scene on Instagram as ‘the craziest thing’ he had seen all year
The moment a humpback whale fights for her baby’s life by fending off attacks from three killer whales has been caught on camera.
Fisherman Shane Stephen and a friend captured the drone footage off the coast of Ningaloo, Western Australia, on Friday.
Described by Mr Stephen on Instagram as ‘the craziest thing’ he had seen all year, the video showed a portion of the rarely seen two-hour frenzy.
The rare drone footage was captured off the coast of Ningaloo in Western Australia on Friday
‘So today a pod of orcas rolled right under the boat to show off and check us out before commencing an almost two-hour hunt for a humpback whale calf right in front of our eyes,’ he wrote on social media.
The footage began as the humpback and her calf swim side-by-side before they are intercepted by three killer whales, also known as orcas.
In a series of synchronised attacks, the orcas took it in turns to swim at the mother and distract her while the third dived and tried to take the two-week-old calf.
In a series of synchronised attacks, the orcas took it in turns to swim at the mother and distract her while the third dived and tried to take the two-week-old calf
While the angry mother successfully fought off the attacks by rolling and lashing out at the predators with her tail, the hunters eventually took the youngster
While the angry mother successfully fought off the attacks by rolling and lashing out at the predators with her tail, the hunters eventually took the youngster.
‘Yes it is raw and not for everyone but it is nature at it’s finest,’ Mr Stephen wrote.
Instagram users used the comments section to express their disbelief.
Pictured: The orcas trying to separate the baby humpback whale from it’s mother on Friday
‘What an insane sight to see, Mother Nature sure does surprise you!’ wrote one viewer.
‘Wow what an absolute trip to witness,’ shared another.
Orcas hunt in packs and often seek out smaller creatures, such as sea turtles and whales, in shallow waters.