By Amos Odhe, Yenagoa
Residents of Okpoama community in Brass Local Government Area, have began to carve up a giant whale stranded at the seaside of the Atlantic Ocean close to the community.
The stranded whale said to be about 15 meters long, 5 meters wide and 3 meters height, may have been grounded on Tuesday night due to low sea wave at the river bank.
When residents of the community met the stranded whale on Wednesday morning, they troop out with machetes, hawk shaws and axes to cut the sea animal into smaller pieces.
Our correspondent reports that the cutting into smaller pieces is still ongoing as at the time of filling the report at Okpoama waterside.
A former Chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Bayelsa State and indigene of the area, Mr Tarinyo Akono, said the whale may have died after it got stranded due to low wave.
He stated that animal was grounded over the night when people had gone to sleep, adding that if it were found alive, may be it could have been rescued and sent back to the sea.
Also, the Youth President of Okpoama community, Engr. Seiyefa Felix Ben-Basuo, who confirmed the incident, said people are at the waterside carving up the animal.
It was observed that the high tide from the river due to the rainy season might have brought the animal to the river bank before it was stranded.
In August 2019, a similar giant whale got stranded at the same waterside and was also carved by the residents for meat.
