Whale vomit worth Rs 10 crore seized in UP: What is ambergris and why is it so valuable?

It’s not every day that one hears about a whale vomit smuggling racket, but that’s exactly what the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) busted on 5 September.

Officials from the STF arrested four members of a gang smuggling ambergris (whale vomit) from Lucknow on Monday. During the raid, the STF found 4.12 kilogramme of whale vomit in their possession, which they said is worth Rs 10 crore.

#UPSTF
के द्वारा दिनांक 05.09.2022 को अंतरराष्ट्रीय स्तर पर वन्य जीव संरक्षण अधिनियम के अंतर्गत प्रतिबंधित अमबरगेरिस की तस्करी करने वाले गिरोह के 4 सदस्यो को रू0 10 करोड़ की 4.120 कि0ग्रा0 अमबरगेरिस सहित थाना गोमतीनगर विस्तार क्षेत्र, लखनऊ से गिरफ्तार किया गया।@uppolice pic.twitter.com/tarKLQDpBd

— UPSTF (@uppstf) September 6, 2022

This is not the first instance of ambergris being stolen in India. There have been cases in the recent past of the police arresting people for trying to sell whale vomit.

We take a closer look at what exactly is ambergris, what is so valuable about it and why is it being smuggled?

Ambergris explained

The term Ambergris is derived from the Old French word Amber and gris and it translates to grey amber.

It is generally referred to as whale vomit. However, Christopher Kemp, the author of Floating gold: A Natural and (unnatural) history of Ambergris, says this is not right. A sperm whale eats several thousand squid beaks a day. He says occasionally, a beak makes it way to the whale’s stomach and into its looping convoluted intestines where it becomes ambergris through a complex process, and may ultimately be excreted by the whale.

The whale produces the solid waxy substance in the form of vomit, which fishermen occasionally find floating in the sea.

It was once thought to be hardened sea foam or poo from seabirds — but mass whaling in the 1800s revealed it comes from the guts of the sperm whale.

According to the Natural History Museum (NHM), “There are conflicting opinions about how ambergris emerges from the whale. Some believe that the whale regurgitates the mass, earning it its well-known nickname ‘whale vomit’.” While some state that the whale secretes the mass, others believe that the substance grows so large that it eventually “fatally ruptures the whale’s rectum”. This is counted among the strangest natural phenomena and why the substance is found floating in the sea is still a matter of discussion among experts.

Why is it so valuable?

Ambergris is also called the Treasure of the Sea, or Floating Gold. It’s highly coveted by perfume companies who use the ambrein alcohol extracted from ambergris to sustain scent.

Whale vomit is in high demand in countries such as Dubai, which has a large perfume market. It is reported that the ancient Egyptians also used it as incense. It is also believed to be used in the making of some traditional medicines.

Pure white varieties are the most valuable in the perfume industry. Ambergris can also be grey, brown, and black, with the latter being the least valuable as it contains the least ambrein.

As per the Mumbai Police, one kilogram of ambergris was valued at Rs 1 crore last year.

What do the laws say on selling ambergris?

Owing to its rarity, the use of ambergris or whale vomit is banned in some countries such as the United Kingdom and even some other countries in Europe.

In India, the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972 forbids the sale of whale vomit, as the sperm whale is a protected species and its hunting has been banned.

However, smugglers are known to have illegally targeted the fish in order to obtain the valuable Ambergris from its stomach.

How much does whale vomit sell for?

Being rare and also so highly-valued, whale vomit often sells for exorbitant amounts. a Thai fisherman found 100 kilogram of ambergris in possibly the world’s largest whale vomit find - worth £2.4 million (Rs 22.03 crore).

In another, similar stroke of luck, a Thai woman found a lump of whale vomit worth £185,000 pounds on 1 March 2021.

There have also been other instances when cops in India have arrested people for the smuggling of whale vomit.

In June of 2021, the Mumbai Police seized nearly nine kg of Ambergris in two separate cases — in the first, 2.2 kg was seized from three men in Mumbai’s Mulund area and in the second, two arrests were made and authorities found 7.7 kg of the valuable item.

In July this year, a group of fishermen in Kerala reportedly discovered whale vomit worth Rs 28 crore and turned it over to local authorities. They received praise from everyone after the news went viral.

Officials state that they can identify ambergris by conducting a test in which a red hot needle is put on the substance. If it emits white fumes and odours, the substance is considered ambergris and sent further for authentication.

With inputs from agencies

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