More Than 40 Camels Barred From Beauty Contest In Saudi Over Use Of Botox

In the biggest ever crackdown on the annual camel beauty contest in Saudi Arabia, more than 40 camels were barred from competing after they were found to have received Botox injections and other artificial touch-ups.

The judges of King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, the popular camel beauty pageant that kicked off this year's event in the desert northeast of the capital, Riyadh, used “specialized and advanced” technology to detect tampering, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Wednesday.

The camel beauty pageant showcases thousands of dromedaries competing for the beauty crown while the winning breeder gets around $66 million in prize money. The winners are decided based on the shape of the camels’ heads, necks, humps, dress and posture. As part of the pageant regulations, botox injections, facelifts and other cosmetic alterations are strictly prohibited, Aljazeera reported.

However, the organizers have observed several violations in dozens of camels and said they have decided to impose strict penalties for the cosmetic alterations done on the animal.

Many breeders have stretched out the lips and noses of camels, inflated body parts with rubber bands, and used fillers to relax their faces, according to the report. The officials have also found out that the camels were injected with hormones and botox to artificially enhance the muscles.

"The club is keen to halt all acts of tampering and deception in the beautification of camels,” the SPA said in a report citing the officials.

The participating camels compete in 19 categories for all six primary colors in camels, according to Al Arabia News. The month-long extravaganza that expects more than 100,000 visits a day also features camel races, sales, and other festivities. However, the camel beauty pageant that showcases thousands of camels remains the heart of the festival. The event is hosted as a step to preserve and celebrate the camel's role in the country's Bedouin tradition and heritage.

For the first time in the history of the camel festival in Saudi Arabia, women were allowed to participate in this years' event, Muhammad Al-Harbi, an official spokesman for the camel club announced the end of last month.