Riyadh Saudi Arabia, First Published Dec 9, 2021, 2:23 PM IST
The King Abdulaziz Camel Festival is held every December in the desert in the northeastern part of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Millions of people come here every year to see it. The uniqueness of this beauty pageant is that it is not the women but the camels who take part.
It is also known as the King Abdul Aziz Camel Fair. The prize for the owner of the most beautiful camels is approximately $ 66 million. As the camel race is set to begin as usual this year, news is coming out that 40 camels have been disqualified from the competition by Saudi authorities. The news was released by the Saudi official news agency.
The AP news agency reported that camels were subjected to artificial cosmetic procedures, such as Botox injections and facelift surgery, as part of a beauty enhancement. The jury will determine the winner based on the camel’s head, neck, chin, dress and posture. But it is alleged that the owners torture the camels every year in the name of this. It is alleged that the owners are trying to make the camels more beautiful by using painful means such as stretching the lips and nose and raising the outer jaw. With this in mind, an investigation was launched this time and the camels were released.
This year, authorities found that dozens of camels ‘lips and noses were stretched, hormones used to increase the animal’s muscles, Botox was injected into the camels’ heads and lips, body parts swollen with rubber bands and fillers used. The judges of the competition said that the camels were subjected to cosmetic changes using special and innovative technology.
Organizers said they would put an end to all the manipulation of camels and cruelty to animals. Violators face severe fines. At the Camel Fair, in addition to the beauty pageant, there are camel races, sales and other festivities. Camel rearing is a multi-billion dollar industry here.
Last Updated Dec 9, 2021, 2:23 PM IST
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