A resident of Thailand unexpectedly learned that a strange object, which he found several years ago in the sea and cut with a knife for fun, is worth a fortune. This is reported by the Daily Mail.
Suwat Chitchanthuek, a 58-year-old fisherman, saw a yellow block floating in the sea in 2014. This happened near Rayong, a province in eastern Thailand. The man considered the find unusual and took it home. It was kept at his house for five years. Sometimes Chitchantuek cut it open with a knife out of boredom, and this made the piece of lump less and less.
In February, the fisherman heard several stories about similar finds and realized that at home he kept frozen vomit of a sperm whale - ambergris.
The waxy substance produced by the mammalian digestive system as a result of irritation of the intestinal mucosa is an expensive material widely used in medicine and perfumery. It acts as an odor retainer and, in traditional medicine and homeopathy, as a flavoring agent.
The lump, which is at the fisherman's home, is estimated at 25 thousand pounds (about two million rubles). If the fisherman hadn't cut him off with a knife, he could have helped even more. The man admitted that he regrets that he spoiled the ambergris. He noted that he would be more careful if he knew its true value.
