DRONE TAKES A CLOSER LOOK

The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) got up close and personal with a whale this year, recently using a drone to take this picture of a southern right whale near Warrnambool. While drones are not normally allowed within 500 metres of whales, DELWP was granted a research permit to operate drones closer to whales under strict conditions. DELWP senior biodiversity officer Mandy Watson said the research was part of a longterm study looking at the size of the southern right whale population in Australia’s southeast, and what factors may be affecting its growth. “By using drone technology, we’ve been able to include calves in the study for the first time.”