‘Whale vomit’ could fetch $70,000 | WPMT FOX43

‘Whale vomit’ could fetch $70,000
Posted 6:22 PM, April 14, 2016, by FOX43 Newsroom

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A couple in the UK stumbled across a large rock that many are calling “whale vomit.” The “rock” could be ambergris, which is a rare substance used to make perfumes last longer on the skin.

A couple in the UK stumbled across a large rock that many are calling “whale vomit.” The “rock” could be ambergris, which is a rare substance used to make perfumes last longer on the skin.

If you happen to come across a smelly rock while taking a long walk on the beach, it could be your lucky day.

A couple in the UK stumbled across a large rock that many are calling “whale vomit.” The “rock” could be ambergris, which is a rare substance used to make perfumes last longer on the skin.

“Ambergris is definitely not vomit,” Christopher Kemp, author of “Floating Gold: A Natural (and Unnatural) History of Ambergris,” told CNN. “It’s more like poop, and it comes from the same place as poop, but it’s only made by a small percentage of sperm whales, as a result of indigestion.”

Gary and Angela Williams followed a pungent smell while walking on Middleton Sands beach near Morecambe Bay that led them to what they believe to be a large lump of ambergris.

“Ambergris feels a little waxy, and smells very complex: a mixture of dung and the ocean, and old wood, and tobacco, and moist earth, and ozone,” Kemp said.

The substance, often called “floating gold,” is produced only by a tiny percentage of sperm whales. It can float in the ocean for decades until it eventually washes up on shore, where people like the Williamses find it.

Before going out to scour the nearest beach to find ambergris, be warned that it is extremely rare and found infrequently. And it’s very hard to know if you’ve actually found ambergris, Kemp said.

“That’s why so many people think they’ve found it, and then discover they haven’t,” he said.

Kemp suspects that the couple’s find may not be genuine ambergris. While ambergris is waxy, the substance they found is “a little too waxy” and looks more like animal fat than ambergris, he said.

If it is genuine ambergris, the British couple’s lump could be worth an estimated $70,000. They are reportedly in negotiation with potential buyers in New Zealand and France.

In 2012, an 8-year-old British schoolboy found a 1.3-pound mass of it in the sand that was worth about $63,000. Good, high-quality ambergris is worth thousands of dollars per pound, Kemp told CNN.

Although the harvesting of ambergris isn’t harmful to the whales, the trade of it is banned in the United States in an effort to not exploit the endangered species.

3 Month Old Bear Cub Loses Limb to Poacher’s Snare

Emilio Cogliani

Mortality is a daily reality for animals in the wild. In the rules of nature, fairness and morality have no role in an animal’s fate. However, humans have changed the rules of survival for wild animals so drastically that we find it is our ethical responsibility to take action and intervene in many situations. In the last year, we at Wildlife SOS have treated a hyena bludgeoned by villagers, rescued leopard cubs scorched by human-induced fires, and fought in courts for elephants crippled from cruelty. Most recently, we rescued a bear cub mutilated for life by a snare.

You may have heard of this cub — we named her Rose — as word of her tragic situation quickly got around the Internet last month. It happened like this: We got a call about an injured bear that needed serious medical attention, and deployed a team to an area near Amoni…

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USA: Stop Congress From Crippling the Endangered Species Act.

Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

Stop Congress From Crippling the Endangered Species Act

The wildlife protection laws for more than 40 years.

Yet, this Congress has pushed more than 80 legislative proposalsto dramatically reduce protections for imperiled wildlife protected under the Endangered Species Act.

If adopted, these measures would weaken the act and thus undermine the conservation of endangered wildlife for decades to come. Big polluting industries, including the hydropower industry, have teamed up with their allies in Congress to try to roll back protections for wildlife, fish, and their habitats, claiming that regulations under the Endangered Species Act will increase costs for consumers or force businesses like mining operations to close.

Do you want to use your voice to help protect fish, wildlife, and our natural heritage?

Join American Rivers in urging Congress to oppose all efforts to weaken the Endangered Species Act.

Petition Link:

https://takeaction.takepart.com/actions/stop-congress-from-crippling-the-endangered-species-act?cmpid=action-eml-2016-04-14

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“The Ghosts of Africa” lost to Hunting and Poaching

International Wildlife Bond

By guest writer, Andrew Van Ginkel, Durban, South Africa

Trophy Hunting    | Poaching                      | Unethical Breeding

Pay money to kill  | Kill to make money  | Making a killing

Trophy hunters shoot more animals in South Africa each year (almost 50,000 animals were shot by trophy hunters in 2011) than in any other country on the planet besides Canada. The hunting permits South Africa sells to foreign and local trophy hunters are death certificates for countless animals that are in some cases endangered species.

The animals shot are sometimes wild animals that roam ‘free’ in large open areas, but many are kept in captive environments and are shot in these confined areas.

Figure 1 – ‘Canned’ Lion – Image Courtesy of Blood Lions 

The demand for certain species that are rare, or considered as prized trophy room specimens makes animal killing a lucrative business. To keep up with demand, one…

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Ban the Cruel Grand National Horse Race

Four horses have died in the first two days of the Grand National horse race. Demand that this cruel event is banned immediately, along with horse racing in general.

Source: Ban the Cruel Grand National Horse Race

Investigate Police for Allegedly Supporting the Illegal Pet Trade

 

Animals are allegedly being abused and killed because high ranking police officers are turning a blind eye to the illegal pet trade. Demand this issue be investigated to ensure animals do not continue to suffer and die as a result of the cruel pet trade.

Source: Investigate Police for Allegedly Supporting the Illegal Pet Trade

Justice for Police Officer Shot by Poachers

 

A police officer was shot and killed while attempting to stop an illegal wildlife trade. Sign this petition to demand that the poachers responsible are found and brought to justice.

Source: Justice for Police Officer Shot by Poachers

Retire Louie the Chimpanzee From Cruel Roadside Zoo

 

A chimpanzee named Louie spends his days confined to a small cage in a roadside zoo, deprived of the chance to roam freely or socialize with others of his species. Release this intelligent wild animal to a sanctuary where his needs will be met.

Source: Retire Louie the Chimpanzee From Cruel Roadside Zoo

Stop Navy From Condemning Dolphins to Excruciating Deaths

 

Thousands of dolphins are at risk of dying slow, painful deaths if a naval sonar drill goes ahead. Cancel this exercise and replace it with a humane equivalent.

Source: Stop Navy From Condemning Dolphins to Excruciating Deaths

Don’t Hunt Endangered Wolves With Dogs

 

 

Wolf hunters will be allowed to use dogs to track, chase and kill wolves, if the hunting and gun lobbies have their way. Polar bears, endangered birds and countless other exotic animals will also lose federal protections. Demand the Senate reject this extreme anti-wildlife and anti-environmental legislation.

Source: Don’t Hunt Endangered Wolves With Dogs

Don’t Dump Japan’s Radioactive Waste in U.S.

 

Radioactive material is being shipped from Japan to a low-income area in the U.S., threatening the health of the community. Stop the shipments and prevent this region from becoming a nuclear waste dumping ground.

Source: Don’t Dump Japan’s Radioactive Waste in U.S.