Authorities have dismissed over 40 camels from the beauty contest in Saudi Arabia for botox and other artificial touch-ups.
The Saudi authorities in their biggest crackdown on camel beauty contestants that received Botox injections and other artificial touch-ups with 40 camels disqualified from the annual contest.
Judges at the month-long festival in the desert of the northeast of the capital, Riyadh, cranked up the crackdown on artificially modified beauty of the camels using “specialized and advanced” methods to detect the tampering, said the Saudi Press Agency.
Saudi Arabia’s popular King Abdul Aziz Camel Festival invites camel owners and breeders to compete in the festival for $66m in prize money.
Botox injects, beauty uplifts, facelifts, and other artificial enhancements in camels are strictly prohibited. Jurors decide the winner based on the camel’s head, neck, hump, posture, and dress.
Over 40 camels in Saudi Arabia were banned from competing in an annual beauty pageant after organizers discovered their breeders had injected them with Botox. https://t.co/obLSGaf6H8
— Al-Monitor (@AlMonitor) December 10, 2021
More than 40 camels disqualified from Saudi Arabia's beauty pageant for receiving Botox injections and other cosmetic enhancements https://t.co/IBjvd8SgYh
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) December 9, 2021
Using unfair means to win
This year authorities discovered dozens of breeders had stretched out the lips and nose of the camels. They also used hormones to boost the muscles and injected camel’s head and lips with botox to make them bigger, inflated body parts with rubber bands, and used fillers to relax their faces.
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“The club is keen to halt all acts of tampering and deception in the beautification of camels,” the SPA report said, adding organizers would “impose strict penalties on manipulators”.
The camel beauty contest is a major attraction of the massive carnival. The festival also features camel races, sales, and other festivals typically showcasing thousands of dromedaries.
Camel breeding is a multi-million dollar industry. Similar events take place across the region. Camels are an important part of the Arab culture.
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Back in 2018, The Guardian had reported that 12 camels were disqualified from the competition for receiving lip injections on their nose, upper and lower lip, and jaw.