The demand for camel meat has decreased in Saudi Arabia since news spread about the recent deaths of hundreds of camels, the Saudi online daily Arab News reported.
The reason behind the camels’ death has so far not been revealed, but it is suspected that they have died from eating poisonous fodder.
Butchers selling camel meat and restaurants have expressed concern that people were increasingly uninterested in buying camel meat, a popular dish in the Kingdom.
“I used to like it and I even used to buy it daily. Now, however, I prefer to stay away from it to protect my family’s health,” Sa’id Asiri, a Saudi citizen, told Arab News.
“Following the news, customers are no longer willing to buy camel liver,” says Abu Muhammad, who owns a shop specializing in camel meat. Abu Muhammad blames the media, which according to him, "has exaggerated the whole thing and frightened people" from buying camel products.