You probably read that title and assumed that this would be another video of a shark preying on some poor, defenceless fish. Well you’re wrong. This lucky drone pilot actually managed to capture the moment when hunter became hunted, as a shark was tracked by a hungry pod of dolphins.
Rare scenes captured off Cronulla show sharks being hunted by whales. @AdeneCassidy7 #7News https://t.co/wv7z7BWglR
— 7NEWS Sydney (@7NewsSydney) May 10, 2016
The video was filmed off the coast of Sydney, Australia, and is proof that even amateur photographers, when armed with a drone, can capture the type of footage that wildlife film-makers only dream of.
The video shows a pod of ‘false killer whales’, members of the dolphin family, hunting down a young shark. They eventually tire it out, and before too long the juvenile shark is in the massive mouth of its killer.
“We did not expect to see what we saw,” said the lucky drone hobbyist Bruno Kataoka. “It was a really exciting moment…National Geographic guys wait months to get such a thing.”
The Sydney 7 News station reported that the city’s ocean tour operators are already considering how to use drones to improve sightings and the quality of tours. So it may not be long before we are seeing regular footage of whales and sharks. Earlier this year officials in Australia trialled custom drones, known as ‘little rippers’, as part of a project to reduce the number of shark attacks. The copters provided both aerial imagery from above, along with being able to drop emergency supplies.
Malek Murison is a freelance writer and editor with a passion for tech trends and innovation. He handles product reviews, major releases and keeps an eye on the enthusiast market for DroneLife.
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