Drone footage shows orcas chasing and killing great white shark

A pod of killer whales is seen chasing sharks during an hour-long pursuit off Mossel Bay, a port town in the southern Western Cape province, in helicopter and drone footage that informed a scientific study released this week.

One clip from the footage, taken in May, shows five orcas chasing and killing a great white and scientists believe three more were mauled to death during the hunt.

Sharks disappeared from the area after the attack, with only one great white spotted in the next 45 days, according to the paper, which was published in the journal Ecology. The authors say this confirms sharks have a flight response and could have broader implications.

In earlier observed cases, the animals ended up abandoning former key habitats, with consequences for the ecosystem and shark-related tourism, said Alison Kock, a marine biologist with South African National Parks.