Dubai: Saudi Arabia has launched the world’s first travel insurance to cover accidents that take place when transporting camels, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The Saudi Camel Club said it has collaborated with the Swiss Finance House to insure against road accidents and deaths that take place while camels are being picked up or dropped off.
Camel owners transport their camels to participate in festivals and competitions in the kingdom, to visit veterinary clinics, to grazing areas and to marketplaces or new owners.
An insurance platform allows owners to subscribe to insurance for their camels remotely, and then receive an insurance policy online.
Bandar Al Qahtani, executive director of the Club, said that at a later stage, the scope of the insurance policy would be expanded to cover diseases that affect camels as well as comprehensive insurance related to camels.
He said that the size of the camel market in Saudi Arabia exceeds SAR50bn ($13.3bn). He added that the insurance plan is a new step in development of camel sector.
The Camel Club has installed an electronic platform called Wathhaha that records data related to camels, such as the breed and the DNA of individual camels. Each camel has a microchip injected into it to keep track of the animal and its owners. Identification records are maintained too for each camel.
The Camel Club was established in 2017 to support the kingdom’s camel heritage and culture. The Club operates as a centre for issues related to the health of camels and the preservation of rare breeds of camels. It has a database containing information on the numbers and types of camels.
One goal is to record the genetic link between all breeds, including making scientific comparisons between the original Arab breeds and imported camels. The Club undertakes research into camel diseases and oversees duties related to camel festivals, competitions and auctions
