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Extraordinary collection of whale vomit worth 1.4 MILLION USD

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A minimum-wage shop worker showed off his incredible collection of whale vomit - estimated to be worth more than 1.5 million USD.

Praprut Sritadrat, 48, has spent the last decade ambling along beaches near his home in southern Thailand slowly collecting the 'floating gold' that washes ashore.

Today, the lucky masseur - who earns around 10,000 Baht (280 USD) a month - has hoarded 50kg of ambergris of varying shapes, sizes and textures at his home in Phang Nga province. The largest chunk he has found to date weighs around nine kilos, he said.

Footage shows Praprut displaying his collection - which he has estimated to be around 50 million baht (1.4 million USD) - to the curious locals, who said they had never seen such a bizarre substance before. He heated the waxy material with a lighter, causing it to melt, brown, and become malleable.

Some of the residents likened the ambergris scent to myrrh, while others said they found its odour 'unusual'.

Speaking to local media, Praprut said his collection has been valued at around one million baht (28,074 USD) per kg.

He said: 'I am originally from Surat Thani, but I've been living here in Phang Nga for around seven years.

'I found my first piece of ambergris some six years ago, when I stumbled upon it while taking a walk on the beach. I kept finding more on the shore, especially during the monsoon season, so I collected them because I think they could make me rich. Usually, I search in the areas of Hat Thai Mueang to Hat Bang Khwan whenever there's a storm.

'I chose to reveal my collection now because I am looking for buyers as I want to build my own house soon.'

The local treasure hunter said he has sent samples of the collection to universities, who have verified it as ambergris.

To expand his search for buyers, he said he partnered with local furniture shop owner Wirat Ratso.

Wirat said: 'Those interested in buying the ambergris can come to my furniture shop and have a look.'

Ambergris is a greyish bile secretion produced in the intestines of sperm whales. It is believed to form to help hard-to-digest food such as squid beaks pass along the whale's digestive tract. The whale then vomits the mucilage which solidifies and floats on the surface of the ocean, sometimes for hundreds of years.

The solid chunk has a foul smell at first but after the mucilage dries out, it develops a sweet and long-lasting fragrance, which makes it a sought-after ingredient in the perfume industry as it gives off a 'musky, sweet, or earthy scent'. However, due to ethical and marine conservation concerns, the perfume industry has turned to synthetic alternatives instead.

Provinces along the southeast Thai coast - where currents from the South China Sea and Java Sea merge into the Gulf of Thailand - have been the scene of dozens of finds, helped by growing recognition of the substance.

Last April, a lucky angler stumbled upon three kilograms of ambergris in Rayong province. His discovery was estimated to be worth three million baht (around 84,000 USD).

While in June last year, struggling fisherman Prachin Phuekphisut, 64, found a whopping 3.4kg lump of verified ambergris worth around 137,000 USD on the sand in Trat province on June 22.

In September 2021, Thai fisherman Narong Phetcharaj found a 30kg piece of ambergris which was authenticated. He received an offer from a Chinese businessman, which gave it a value of GBP 30,000 USD per kg.

In 2018, Boonyos Tala-upara, 44, found a piece weighing 10kg on the island of Koh Samui, which was valued at 500,000 USD.

Elsewhere in the world, in April 2016, a 1.57-kilogram ambergris ball found in Lancashire, England, sold for GBP 50,000 (63,245)while in November of the same year, three Omani fishermen found 80KG of ambergris and sold it for GBP 2,233,000 (2,824,521 USD)

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