A pygmy sperm whale which beached yesterday in Lekki, an elitist part of Nigeria’s former capital Lagos, paid dearly for it as it was promptly butchered by some residents.

The ordeal of the unfortunate marine animal was made public this morning by Enahoro Edgal, an upwardly mobile Lekki resident, who uploaded the photo on his Facebook wall, with the caption: “This pygmy sperm whale that beached near my house in Lekki was butchered alive yesterday.”

News Express reports that the incident happened close to Eko Atlantic City, the elitist city promoted by the Lagos State Government being built on land reclaimed from the Atlantic Ocean. Eko Atlantic City, which occupies about five million square metres of land reclaimed, was unveiled last month (on on February 21) at a colourful ceremony graced by President Goodluck Jonathan, Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola and former United States President Bill Clinton, among other dignitaries.

Olabode Oladeinde, a Nigerian who knows the area very well – having lived in Lagos before relocating abroad – described the killing of the whale as “just plain old mischief.” He tried to link the ordeal of whale to the disruption of the habitat of marine animals and argued that hunger is not good enough a reason to kill and eat stranded animals.

“There is so much life out there,” Oladeinde wrote. “Growing up in Lagos the creeks are lagoons were our favorite play places. Swimming and fishing were second nature. We have added to the coastline via reclamation and encroached on the habitat of these marine creatures. And when they beach by accident we think it is awoof from Olodumare. We are destroying our ecosystem and blaming it on hunger. Those Guys did not butcher the Whale because they were hungry. It’s the instinct of mischief that overwhelmed their sense of reasoning.”

News Express reports that the pygmy sperm whale is a protected animal in some other parts of the world. Wikipedia describes it as “one of three species of toothed whale in the sperm whale family,” adding: “They are not often sighted at sea, and most of what is known about them comes from the examination of stranded specimens.”

•Photo, courtesy Enahoro Edgal, shows the whale being butchered . . . yesterday in Lekki.

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