More than 40 camels were disqualified from a popular annual beauty pageant after authorities found that the animals received Botox injections, and other cosmetic procedures, AP reports.
Authorities found instances where breeders had stretched out the lips and noses of camels, enhanced their muscles through the use of hormones, administered Botox in order to make their heads and lips appear bigger, inflated body parts with rubber bands, and injected fillers into their faces. Any type of enhancements or alterations to a camel are prohibited by the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, which boasts prize money totaling $66 million.
Given that judges must determine a winner based on the camel’s size and appearance, the pageant is looking to curb such illegal procedures, and according to the Saudi Press Agency, “specialized and advanced” technology was used to spot evidence of breeders who were trying to give their camels a competitive advantage in this multimillion-dollar industry.
A report from the SPA reads, “The club is keen to halt all acts of tampering and deception in the beautification of camels,” adding organizers would “impose strict penalties on manipulators.”
The New York Postnotes that a dozen camels were banned three years ago when authorities discovered that they were also given Botox.
