A spectacular stroke of luck happened to fishermen from Yemen, who found a treasure in the carcass of a whale
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himA spectacular stroke of luck happened to a group of fishermen from Yemen, who found a treasure worth one and a half million dollars in the carcass of a whale.
The incredible story comes from the Gulf of Aden, in the very poor Yemen. A group of fishermen from the village of al-Khaisah and displaced from Hodeidah found a real treasure in the belly of a dead whale - an estimated value of 1,5 million dollars.
The small boat was in the sea when the thirty-five fishermen on board were suspicious of the nauseating smell emanating from the carcass of the sperm whale floating a few tens of meters from them. A smell certainly caused by the state of decomposition of the animal's carcass, but not only - the fishermen immediately suspected that there was more behind that find. Unable to drag the animal due to its weight, the fishermen also asked other boats for help: more than a hundred fishermen were involved in transporting the whale to the beach, where the incredible discovery took place: hidden in the belly of the the very rare and precious animal ambergris, also known as "floating gold" or "treasure of the sea". In practice, the carcass turned out to be a veritable gold mine for the poor villagers.
Ambergris is mostly used in the perfume industry (Credit: splinex / 123rf.com)
Ambergris is a rare and very precious substance, used in many fields - from natural medicine to the perfume industry, but also as an incense and aphrodisiac. It is formed from the regurgitation produced by sperm whales in the digestion process of squid, their favorite food, but not all whales produce it: in fact, less than 5% of sperm whales are able to secrete this substance. Additionally, sperm whales are a protected species, and hunting them for ambergris is prohibited by law and severely sanctioned. Due to its rarity, the price of amber is around 50.000 dollars per kilo.
After the exceptional discovery, solidarity was immediately triggered: part of the proceeds from the sale of amber was in fact donated to help the most needy of the village. The lucky fishermen, on the other hand, to avoid disputes, agreed on an equal percentage for everyone before selling the amber. There are those who bought a car, those who took the opportunity to organize the wedding of their dreams, who will be able to pay for their children to study.
'Smelly but lots of money!'
A joy to work on this with you @SuaadS and Adnan Ameen Al-Haaj. https://t.co/bvcXoIXAyJ
- Eloise Alanna (@EloiseAlanna) June 1, 2021
We are all poor, we would never have expected to have such a figure. It's incredible - they say.
Source: BBC News
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