Residents of Ijaw-Kiri, a fishing community in the Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State found a whale washed ashore recently. It could not be ascertained if the fish was dead, but the moment the riverine people sighted it on the beach, they excitedly rushed home, fetched axes, cutlasses, motorised saw and knives. In a matter of hours, they had stripped the massive creature to the bones. Residents from neighbouring Odioma and Okpoama communities joined in the butchering of the whale.
In other climes, when such aquatic animals get washed ashore and become stuck, they are helped back into the water to live.
Unfortunately, in Nigeria, whales and dolphins suffer cruelty anytime they are hauled ashore. The Bayelsa incident was not the first. There had been several in the past.
As recent as July, some fishermen in Odioma in the same Bayelsa State reportedly made a feast of a dolphin, which was beached in the community.
About five years ago, hundreds of residents living around the Alfa Beach in the Lekki area of Lagos State scrambled to get chunks of a whale that had been washed ashore the coastline.
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At some point, fight broke out among the people, as they struggled over the fish. Officials of the state Ministry of the Environment later arrived the scene and chased them away.
As the residents of the Bayelsa communities were busy butchering the whale, the sea water turned red with blood. They were either unaware of, or not bothered about the danger the contaminated blood and the carcass of the dead fish posed to their health and environment.
The resort to treating aquatic animals that get beached in our riverine communities as manna from heaven calls for a serious concern because of the ethical and health implications.
Eating dead fish whose cause of death is unknown is dangerous. Riverine communities had feasted on such dead fishes in the past and reportedly ended up with cholera infestation and other strange diseases.
Eating whale meat is also believed to be a human health hazard as the fish is vulnerable to environmental contaminants. Contaminants usually found in whales found ashore, if ingested by humans, can cause various health challenges, including immune system suppression, reproductive and developmental disorders, liver damage, nerve damage, kidney infection and skin irritation.
Aside from the dangers in eating fishes washed ashore, our scant regard for the rights of animals is alarming. While the incidence of butchering aquatic creatures found at the beaches is occasional, other domestic animals, such as cattle, chickens, dogs and pigs suffer even more human barbarity in our communities.
On a daily basis, cattle, sheep and goats are transported in unsuitable trucks over long distances, whereas in other climes, it is the frozen carcasses of the animals that are moved from the slaughterhouse to the cities.
Such inhumane treatment is seen when bulls and cows are forced into boots of small cars and moved from the market to homes.
What is more, some commercial riders convey the bull with all its massiveness on their motorcycles, let alone the smaller sheep, goats and pigs, which also suffer such cruel treatments.
When the animals die, as a result of poor handling, the owners, who do not want to bear the loss, still find a way to pass the unwholesome meat to unsuspecting consumers.
Poultry animals also do not fare better. They are also moved in overcrowded cages from the farms to the market.
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The cruelest treatment is suffered by dogs in the hands of dog meat sellers. The animal, described as man’s best friend, is first tied up in a sack for hours and then killed with deadly pestle blows to the head. The animal so barbarously treated becomes the delicacy to some dog meat lovers.
There are many legislations in the country, providing protection for the rights of animals. There are provisions of the Criminal Code, which prohibit acts of cruelty to animals, but the most comprehensive is the National Environmental Standard Regulations Enforcement Agency, NESREA, Act of 2007, which, in addition to the local laws relevant to animal rights, also mandates the agency to enforce relevant international treaties and agreements.
By law, animal rights abuse offences must be prosecuted by the police or the Attorney General. But how many offenders are often or ever punished? How many Nigerians are even aware that domestic and wild animals are protected under the law?
We urge relevant government agencies, particularly the National Orientation Agency, NOA, to create awareness for the protection of animals from inhumane treatment. We also urge citizens to promptly report acts of cruelty against animals to the police and for the law enforcers to ensure the offenders are sanctioned.
Animals are a necessary part of our world. They live and have blood flowing in their veins. They feel pain like us. They deserve to be cared for, protected against all forms of abuse and mistreatment, for without them our existence is incomplete.
