Saudi Arabia: Beasts Botoxed by Breeders Barred from Beauty Battle

Judges at the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia disqualified more than 40 camels from competing in the festival’s beauty contest after it was discovered that their natural good looks were artificially enhanced by various cosmetic treatments, such as injections of Botox, fillers or hormones. Such enhancements are strictly forbidden by the contest’s rules, but with breeders vying for around $66 million in prize money, there is plenty of incentive to cheat. Saudi authorities have stepped up their enforcement this year using “specialized and advanced” technology to detect violations, according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency. “The club [organizing the camel festival] is keen to halt all acts of tampering and deception in the beautification of camels,” the SPA reported, and the organizers would “impose strict penalties on manipulators.”