Thai fisherman discovers whale vomit worth up to €2.6 million

A fisherman discovers whale vomit, or ambergris, on a beach in Thailand and becomes a millionaire overnight. 

Naris Suwannasang found a record amount of ambergris - a priceless substance found only in the intestines of large sperm whales.

The 60-year-old fisherman found the whale vomit on a beach in Nakhon Si Thammarat, southern Thailand, after spotting several greyish patches of a jelly-like substance.

Naris Suwannasang on the beach where he discovered the ambergris.

This rare substance, ambergris, is produced in the intestines of sperm whales.

While a synthetic version has been developed, the real thing is still very popular with perfumers who use it to extend and deepen the smell of perfumes.

Naris enlisted the help of two of his cousins who helped him take the strange smelling substance home.

Once he arrived home, he tested this curious rock by heating it with a lighter.

It then gave off a characteristic musky smell and Naris had no doubt that it was ambergris.

What he did not realise at the time was that his find, weighing almost 100 kg, was the largest quantity ever recorded: a piece of ambergris worth 2.6 million euros.

Naris told reporters, "I intend to go to the police and register my find because I fear it will be stolen from my home."

He said he had already been contacted by a local entrepreneur who had tentatively offered him 960,000 Thai baht (about 26,000 euros) per kilogram for his record-breaking piece of whale vomit.

Naris currently earns the equivalent of about 556 euros per month.

He is now waiting to find out if the ambergris is of sufficient quality to get the best price.

Naris told reporters, "The businessman told me he would come and check the quality of the ambergris later and the price shocked me."

"I could get about 960,000 Baht per kilogram if the ambergris I found is of the best quality."

In April 2016, 1.57kg of ambergris found near Morecambe Bay in Lancashire was sold for €550,000.

Gary Williams, who discovered it, told the Daily Mirror:

"It smells too bad... It's a very particular smell, like a cross between squid and farmyard manure."

"It feels like rock-hard rubber.

Its texture is like wax, like a candle.

When you touch it, it sticks to your fingers.

He added: "If it is worth a lot of money, it will allow us to buy a static caravan.

It would be a dream come true.

See also :

Unusual: they return a lost lottery ticket worth €170,000 the next day

Source: dailystar.co.uk