Residents of Okpoama Kingdom in Brass Island, Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, butchered a giant fish suspected to be a whale after it was found washed ashore on the Okpoama beach area of the Atlantic Ocean on Wednesday morning.
The stranded whale, grounded on Tuesday night due to a low sea wave, attracted the community members who discovered it on Wednesday morning. Armed with machetes, saws, and axes, the residents proceeded to butcher the whale, which appeared to be dead.
Tarinyo Akono, an indigene of the community and former Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Bayelsa State, suggested the whale likely died after getting stranded due to the low tide on Tuesday. Akono noted that if the whale had been found alive, there might have been a chance to rescue it and return it to the sea.
The youth president of Okpoama community, Seiyefa Felix Ben-Basuo, confirmed the incident, stating that people were still at the waterside butchering the whale because of its enormous size.
It is believed that the high tide from the river during the rainy season brought the whale to the bank, where it became stranded. This incident mirrors a similar event in August 2019, when another giant whale was stranded at the same location and subsequently butchered by the residents.
The beaching and subsequent butchering of whales raise environmental concerns and highlight the need for awareness and conservation efforts to protect marine life in the region.
