[ad_1]
Days after the carcass of a sperm whale washed up on the beach of the Canary island of La Palma, a pathologist, who performed the animal’s autopsy, found amber, also known as ‘floating gold’, stuck in its colon, Watchman reported on Tuesday. The value of the recovered nugget from the sperm whale is estimated at around €500,000 (Rs.4,47,62,500).
Antonio Fernandez Rodriguez, head of the Institute of Animal Health and Food Security at Las Palmas University, who found amber inside the dead animal, said. WatchmanHe said, “What I took out was a stone about 50-60 cm in diameter and weighing 9.5 kg.” The waves were washing the whale. Everyone was watching me when I got back to the beach but they didn’t know that what I had in my hand was amber.”
What is amber?
Ambergris, which means gray amber in French, is a waxy substance that originates from the digestive tract of protected sperm whales. While it is incorrectly referred to as “whale vomit”, one theory about its formation suggests that it is produced in the digestive tract of some sperm whales for the passage of sharp, hard objects that are swallowed when the whale eats large quantities of marine animals.
Amber is said to pass like feces and has a very strong fecal odor accompanied by a strong marine scent. Freshly passed amber is a light yellow, oily substance but with age turns waxy and becomes red-brown, sometimes with shades of gray and black and acquires a mild, earthy, sweet aroma but with mild marine notes as a scent.
What are the uses of amber and why is it so expensive?
Amber is a rare material that contributes to its high demand and high price in the global market. Traditionally, it is used to produce perfumes that contain musky notes. Although there are records of it being used to flavor food, alcoholic beverages, and tobacco in some cultures in the past, it is rarely used for these purposes today.
Legal aspects in India
While there is a ban on the possession and trade of amber in countries such as the USA, Australia and India, in many other countries it is a tradable commodity, although in some there are restrictions. In the Indian context, sperm whales are a protected species under Schedule 2 of the Wildlife Protection Act and possession or trade in any of their by-products, including amber and its by-products, is illegal under the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. It has been noted that The gangs that smuggle amber buy it from coastal areas and ship it to destination countries via some other countries with which India enjoys relatively less strict sea trade.
[ad_2]
