Ambergris Boulder at $4 Million Confiscated After Smuggle Attempt Failed in India

An effort to smuggle a $4 million ambergris boulder was thwarted because Indian police discovered the scheme.

Ambergris Boulder

Ambergris, also known as "whale vomit," was revealed to be worth nearly four million dollars after being confiscated from smugglers in India.

The smuggled ambergris boulder was discovered by local officials close to Tamil Nadu's coast. The Hindu said that about 22 pounds of ambergris were being smuggled. Authorities responded to a tip last Saturday and stopped a car that was carrying several persons and the illegal ambergris.

In extremely few instances, a valuable waxy material called ambergris can occur in sperm whales' digestive systems. It is also quite valuable financially.

$4 Million Value

According to The Hindu, Ambergris is exceedingly expensive and costs between 1.5 and 2 crore rupees, or $181,154 and $241,531 per kilogram, according to Seema Latkar, the Mysuru district police superintendent.

This puts the Ambergris prize to be worth between $1.7 million and $2.36 million, with a potential maximum value of almost $4 million.

The rarity of ambergris-found in only 5% of whales-is what gives it its worth. Sperm whales were historically heavily hunted, in part for the ambergris they contained, which was used to make perfume and was thought to have aphrodisiac characteristics. In 1953, a 926-pound rock of ambergris was discovered inside one male whale.

Moratorium on Whaling and Ban on Ambergris Trade

As many as 236,000 sperm whales were slaughtered in the 1800s, and before the 1986 whaling embargo, at least 770,000 were killed in the mid-20th century. Before the start of whaling, there were over a million of them in the world; by the 1990s, there were only about 360,000.

Now, even though most nations have outlawed whaling, many still forbid commerce in ambergris, even if it is obtained from the ocean's surface. Under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act of 1999 in Australia, the Endangered Species Act of 1973 in the US, and the Wild Life (Protection) Act of 1972 in India, trading in ambergris is prohibited.

Because ambergris periodically floats on the ocean's surface, it has earned the historical moniker "floating gold," according to the UK's Natural History Museum (NHM).

Whale Vomit

It is unknown exactly how the ambergris travels from the whale's belly to the ocean's surface. It is known as whale vomit and is said to be regurgitated by whales. Some people believe they expel it from the other end of their digestive system.

According to recent discussions with colleagues around the world, Richard Sabin, curator of marine mammals at the NHM, leans toward the notion that ambergris originates in the intestines and passes along with fecal debris, forming an obstruction in the rectum, Newsweek reports.

Ambergris is a naturally occurring waste product of sperm whales that is recognized by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), making its collection from the sea or beach permissible.

According to Sabin, there are synthetic substitutes for ambergris, and their use ought to be promoted. This would stop whales from being seen as a resource that people may use, according to the Natural History Museum.