India has been plagued by a black market that sells quirky and kinky items. And evidently, there is nothing you can’t sell in this industry, not even a mammal’s vomit. You can find customers for all kinds of banned and illegal products and they can be easily sourced by the black market mafia. Very recently, Mumbai police nabbed a man for smuggling the endangered Sperm Whale’s vomit worth Rs. 1.7 crore.
Yes, you read that right!
According to reports, a 53-year-old man was arrested in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar for attempting to sell 1.3 kg of ambergris (whale vomit) worth Rs. 1.7 crore.
Rahul Dupare, a resident of Nagpur was nabbed by the joint efforts of a team of police and the forest department after receiving tip-offs from their sources. The police arrested Rahul when he was trying to crack a deal worth crores. They also suspected a possible illegal racket that Dupare could be a part of.
Ambergris also commonly known as ‘floating gold’ is a prohibited item and a “rare and expensive wax that is produced as a secretion in the intestines of Sperm Whales to protect them from the sharp beaks of squid, which they eat, and is passed as vomit.”
Ambergris is secreted by the Sperm Whale which is an endangered species protected under the Wildlife Protection Act (1972). The floating gold is rarely found in the tropical seas and is used in perfume manufacturing. The act also states that selling any part of an endangered animal is illegal.
Humans have already polluted their homes. Now, it’s time we realise that sea creatures and animals alike should not be used to sate mankind’s never-ending greed.