Investigation Ordered As Shocking Video Shows Manatee Being Dragged Along Street

***WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT***

A heartbreaking video has emerged of a manatee being dragged along a street in Nigeria.

In the video, a group of men can be seen pulling the helpless creature by a rope tied around its tail, as it desperately flails and flaps its flippers before boisterous onlookers.

The video is believed to have been recorded in the Niger Delta region and began circulating on social media on Saturday.

West African manatees are classed as a vulnerable species and it is illegal to hunt them in Nigeria. The practice, however, is still pervasive, and they remain a target for their meat, oil and organs, which are used in some traditional medicines.

Nigeria's deputy environment minister Sharon Ikeazor strongly condemned the video in a series of tweets and has called for the state's environment commissioner to investigate:

In 2015, the International Union for Conservation of Nature estimated there were 10,000 West African manatees living in the wild, though this number is in rapid decline.

The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) says it is crucial, particularly in poverty stricken areas, that people are made aware of conservation efforts.

It said: "In certain regions of the manatee distribution range, there are still sizeable populations of the species. In these regions, education of the public and resource management programmes need to be strengthened with a view to raising public awareness of conservation issues and finding a way of stopping or at least reducing excessive hunting.

"In order to make the population aware of the threats on the manatees, it is important to elaborate a regional programme of sustainable conservation of the West African manatee and its habitat, based on the most reliable scientific data and taking into account the environment and the socio-economic and cultural characteristics of local communities in the distribution area."