Saudi Arabia annually hosts the prestigious King Abdulaziz Camel Festival to determine who is the most beautiful camel in the land. The contest commands a total prize money of $57 million out of which $30 million goes to the winning Miss Camel.
This competition hosted on the outskirts of Riyadh, is pretty popular with the locals, with it seeing a footfall of 3 lakh people, which is 30% more than last year.
Here are some pictures of the event:
As per the contest’s chief judge, the camel is a symbol of Saudi Arabia and now is preserved as a pastime. In this month long festival, the camels are judged on the basis of their size of lips, cheeks, heads and knees.
The contest also maintains a strict regulations code which means the camels cannot have drugs in their lips, cannot be shaved or dyed in any part of the body. It also needs to be ensured that the natural form of the camels isn’t changed.
But with such a heavy prize money at stake, some people decided to cut corners, and as a result, 12 camels have been disqualified from the contest for being injected with Botox.
Botox which is basically a neurotoxin named botulinum toxin which is manufactured via a bacteria called Clostridium botulinum. As part of a cosmetic treatment, it is used to reduce fine lines and wrinkles on the face.
As per a regular at the camel festival, the camel handlers use Botox for the upper, lower lips, nose and the jaw of the camel. The head of the camel as a result becomes inflated because of the Botox, which is a desirable quality while judging the contestants. Apart from the face, the camel’s height, shape and hump placement are also considered important factors.
Cheating is apparently so prevalent in this competition that a day before the start of the tournament, a veterinarian was caught performing plastic surgery on some camels.
