More than 40 camels in a Saudi Arabian beauty contest were disqualified after judges found that some breeders were injecting Botox into the animals’ faces to make them more visually appealing.

In a report from the Associated Press, dozens of camels in the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival were removed from the competition after judges found cosmetic enhancements in their faces.

Saudi authorities have conducted their biggest-ever crackdown on camel beauty contestants that received Botox injections and other artificial touch-ups.

Saudi Arabia’s popular King Abdulaziz Camel Festival invites the breeders of the most beautiful camels to compete for some $66 million in prize money.

Botox injections, face lifts and other cosmetic alterations to make the camels more attractive are strictly prohibited.

The augmentations, including facelifts and Botox injections, are not allowed because judges evaluate camels’ humps, posture, heads and necks when deciding on the winner.

The Botox in the camels’ faces was identified using «specialized and advanced» technology, according to the AP, citing a statement from the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

This year, authorities discovered dozens of breeders had stretched out the lips and noses of camels, used hormones to boost the beasts’ muscles, injected camels’ heads and lips with Botox to make them bigger, inflated body parts with rubber bands and used fillers to relax their faces.

Organizers would “impose strict penalties on manipulators.”

The camel beauty contest is at the heart of the massive carnival, which also features camel races, sales and other festivities typically showcasing thousands of dromedaries.

The extravaganza seeks to preserve the camel’s role in the kingdom’s Bedouin tradition and heritage, even as the oil-rich country plows ahead with modernizing mega-projects.

Camel breeding is a multimillion-dollar industry and similar events take place across the region.

Sources: AP News, YouTube

Last Updated on 10.12.2021 by iskova