Ambergris worth ₹8 cr. seized from gang in Narasaraopet

The whale vomit is called as ‘floating gold’ for its high value

In a joint operation, officials of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), Chennai, along with the local forest and police personnel arrested an eight-member gang which allegedly tried to sell Ambergris (vomit of a sperm whale), worth about ₹8 crore, at Narsaraopet in Guntur district on Sunday. On a tip-off that the gang was trying to sell ambergris – a solid waxy substance in grey, black or yellow produced in the intestines of sperm whales and used for manufacturing perfumes – the WCCB team and the Guntur district forest and police officials laid a trap and arrested the accused, said Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF-Wildlife) Rahul Pandey. “It is a very rare operation. Ambergris is produced only by an estimated 1% of sperm whales. Chemically, ambergris contains alkaloids, acids and a specific compound called ambrein, which is similar to cholesterol. Ambergris floats on the surface of the water body and settles on the coast,” Mr. Pandey told The Hindu.