The people of Okpoama community in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State have butchered another giant whale which was grounded in the seaside community.
The whale measuring about 15 metres long and five metres wide at a height of about three metres was dead when residents saw it on the beach on Wednesday morning.
It is believed to have come in with the high tide on Tuesday night and was left on the shore as the sea water receded at a low tide.
A community source, Tarinyo Akono, told PUNCH Metro on Wednesday that “they are butchering the whale” saying the people were using machetes, hacksaws and axes to cut the animal to pieces.
Akono, a former state Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Bayelsa State Council, who is an indigene of the area, said the whale was dead after being out of water throughout the night.
The youth president of Okpoama, Seiyefa Felix Ben-Basuo, who also spoke to our correspondent, said youths were butchering the animal at the seaside.
A similar incident occured five years ago, in August 2019, a giant whale was stranded at the same seaside community and was butchered by the residents for food.
Expert have warned that consumption of whale meat could be injurious to health due to likely contamination by heavy metals.
