Residents of Okpoama community in Bayelsa State have butchered a huge whale found on their beach. The dead whale was quickly cut up for food by the seaside community.

The whale, around 15 meters long and 5 meters wide, was found dead on Wednesday morning. It is believed that the whale washed ashore with the high tide on Tuesday night and was left stranded as the tide went out.

A local source, Tarinyo Akono, shared with The PUNCH that the residents were using machetes, hacksaws, and axes to cut the whale into pieces. Akono, a former state Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Bayelsa State Council, confirmed the whale had died after being out of the water all night.

The youth president of Okpoama, Seiyefa Felix Ben-Basuo, also reported that people were actively butchering the whale on the beach. This isn’t the first time such an incident has occurred; in August 2019, another giant whale was stranded in the same area and was similarly butchered by the community.