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Whale's belly full of treasure - 9th July 2021

The discovery of a dead whale has changed the lives of some Yemeni fishermen.

Recently, Abdulhakeem and his fishermen friends set sail with their nets, as normal. They came across a dead sperm whale floating in the sea.

Fares Abdulhakeem: "I head out to sea everyday in search of my daily catch. And on one of those days, we found a dead whale. It turned out to be a whale full of ambergris."

Ambergris is a solid substance which forms in the digestive system of the whale. It is used in the perfume industry to make quality scents.

When the fishermen pulled the whale's body to the shore and opened it up, they discovered a 12 kilogramme lump of ambergris. This was later purchased by a businessman from the UAE for the sum of $1.5 million.

For these men, who live in a country which has been experiencing a terrible civil war, this is a fortune. The discovery has allowed them to spend money on important purchases. It has made their lives easier.

Fares Abdulhakeem: "Many people made a good use of it. There are those who bought boats, others built or fixed their houses. I built my house – I built my future. The circumstances here are already difficult."

Life has definitely improved for these fishermen. However, they'll carry on going out to sea because fishing is their passion.

Salim Sharf: "We are simple people, fishermen looking for our catch everyday. If you found your catch for the day, you thank God. Suddenly, the Most Merciful gave us this."