Dubai: More than 40 camels have been disqualified from Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, a camel beauty pageant, over the use of Botox and other cosmetic touch-ups, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.
Saudi authorities said some breeders have stretched out the lips and noses of camels using collagen lip fillers, artificially beefed up their muscles with hormones and inflated body parts using rubber bands.
This is the sixth edition of the camel festival, which runs from December 1, 2021, and continues until January 12, 2022.
The best-looking camel wins a cash prize. The festival’s overall prize pool is estimated at 250 million riyals ($66.6 million).
Following the festival, the most beautiful camels will be auctioned off at a pavilion where the top camels can fetch millions.
This is not the first time that camels have been barred from the camel beauty contest. In 2018, 12 camels were disqualified after it was revealed they were injected with Botox.
