Recently in Gujarat, three persons were caught smuggling whale vomit, which sounds very disgusting, because why would anyone need to smuggle whale vomit. But it is absolutely true, those three were selling around 5.35 kg whale vomit for ₹7 crores. The whale vomit is also called as ‘floating gold’ for its high value, and sometimes it is also found floating on water bodies. Now you must be wondering what is there in whale vomit that has so much value.
Actually, whale vomit means there is a solid waxy substance called ambergris that is produced in the intestines of sperm whales, which is considered to be a very precious gem of the ocean. The value of this ambergris is many times more than that of gold and it is considered the highly crucial ingredient for manufacturing special perfumes, especially to create fragrances like musk.
The sale of ambergris has been strictly prohibited in India, as the sperm whales from which it is found are a highly endangered species and are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act. The sperm whale was declared an endangered species in 1970. The vomit of the sperm whale is very difficult to detect or it would not be wrong to say that it is impossible, because to find it requires a deep dive into the ocean, and therefore its value is very high.
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People have been obsessed with Ambergris for centuries, Ancient Greeks used to add it to their wines to make them more intoxicating while in medieval times it was prescribed to cure epilepsy as well as impotency. During the black death pandemic, people rubbed Ambergris on their bodies so that the plague would not spread and they could get rid of the smell emanating from them, resulting in fragrance covered the smell of the air that was believed to be responsible for the outbreak.
Before whaling, the population of sperm whales was 11 lakhs, which is now only around 3 lakhs. Of these whales, only about one to five percent are responsible for producing Ambergris. Ambergris is quite rare but is still found on the coasts of China, Japan, Africa, and America. It is also often found on tropical islands such as the Bahamas. Production of this rare and valuable substance by sperm whales is a threat to them. Sperm whales were the target of whaling many decades ago. But now their killings have stopped to an extent.
The laws for the collection and sales of Ambergris vary globally, in some countries Ambergris or any other products of whales are all prohibited. But there are many places where it is legal, if we talk about UK and the rest of the European Union, then all living species of whales and dolphins have been protected by law. But the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), considers Ambergris to be a naturally occurring waste material, making it legal for beaches and sea collection.
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An alternative to ambergris already exists in the shape of a compound called Ambroxan. Some scientists believe that when synthetic alternatives to Ambergris already exist, their uses should be encouraged, such encouragement will stop people from exploiting whales as resources.
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