We’re accustomed to seeing dramatic videos from the folks at Sea Shepherd Conservation Society as they often take aggressive action in the name of protecting marine life. In a new video trending on Facebook on Thursday, no animals were harmed and no ships were interfered with — but a drone was deployed to capture a beautiful scene at sea.
The crew of the Sea Shepherd ship MV Steve Irwin (yes, “The Crocodile Hunter”) filmed an encounter with a blue whale mother and her calf and in a post on Facebook, shared rare aerial footage and described the event.
The ship, which Sea Shepherd says is engaged in Operation Icefish, encountered the whales while “on the search for illegal activity on the high seas” of the Antarctic. Blue whales are the largest animals on Earth and can grow up to 98 feet in length.
“Filming this endangered blue whale and her calf with a drone was unbelievable,” said Gavin Garrison, the drone pilot and a Steve Irwin crewmember. “Spotting a blue whale from the deck of the Steve Irwin is a thrill, but being able to film the biggest animals on the planet from the air is truly awe-inspiring.”
