Manama: At least 15 top-breed racing camels collectively worth millions of dollars died in Al Shahaniya in Qatar and a large number of camels are battling for life after insecticides were used to cleanse them of bacteria.
The insecticides were provided by the civic animal husbandry department, Qatari media reported on Sunday.
The condition of the animals began to deteriorate after insecticides were used and within 30 minutes, 15 died while the others were left fighting for survival, The Peninsula said.
“Around 150 camels are at risk now and this is a real tragedy,” Misfar Al Marry, the owner, said, quoted by Al Sharq daily. “I warn all owners not to use the insecticide until they are sure that it will not harm their camels,” he said.
The department said that it was investigating the issue.
“We have sent a team to probe what happened and see what went wrong,” Farhoud Al Hajiri, acting head of the department, said.
Camel racing is a popular sport in Qatar and in some other countries in the region. Camels can run at speeds up to 65 kilometres per hour in short sprints and can maintain a speed of 40 kilometres for one hour.
