What makes for a ‘really’ beautiful camel? Apparently, long, droopy lips, a big nose and a shapely hump. More more than 40 camels have been disqualified from Saudi Arabia’s camel beauty pageant for receiving Botox injections and other cosmetic enhancements.
Botox is injected into camels’ lips, noses, jaws and other parts of their heads to relax muscles; collagen fillers used to make their lips and noses bigger; and hormones were given to boost muscle growth. Rubber bands were also used on animals to make body parts bigger than normal by restricting the flow of blood.
What’s been referred to as a “cruel farce” by animal rights organisation Peta Asia is motivated by a huge hump of prize money. The contest is a highlight of the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, where $66m (R1,041,216,000) is up for grabs.
This year, judges used “advanced” technology to uncover tampering, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
External appearance and movements were examined by specialists, and their heads, necks and torsos were then scanned with X-ray and 3D ultrasound machines, and samples were taken for genetic analysis and other tests, reports BBC.
This technology, used for the first time this year, resulted in the discovery of foul play and animal cruelty.
27 contestants were disqualified for having stretched body parts and 16 were rejected for having received injections and other cosmetic enhancements.
Organisers have said that “strict penalties on manipulators” will be imposed.
“Subjecting any animal to a cosmetic procedure, from ear cropping to declawing, dehorning, and filler injections, is hideously cruel and shows the humans who use such tactics to be extremely ugly,” says Jason Baker, senior vice-president of animal rights group Peta Asia to BBC.
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