A Dozen Camels Disqualified From Saudi Beauty Pageant Over Botox Injections

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Some pageant contestants hit a hump in the road this week. That is, a camel beauty contest in Saudi Arabia disqualified a dozen camels for receiving Botox injections to make them more attractive.

Saudi media reported that a veterinarian was caught performing plastic surgery on the camels a few days before the pageant, according to UAE's The National. In addition to the injections, the clinic was surgically reducing the size of the animals' ears to make them appear more delicate.

"They use Botox for the lips, the nose, the upper lips, the lower lips and even the jaw," Ali Al Mazrouei, a regular at such festivals and the son of a prominent Emirati breeder, told the newspaper. "It makes the head more inflated so when the camel comes it's like, 'Oh look at how big that head is. It has big lips, a big nose.' "

Real money is at stake: About $57 million is awarded to winners of the contests and camel races, The National reports, with more than $31.8 million in prizes for just the pageants.

The festival provides a number of informative graphics about camels, including a diagram titled Standards of Camel Beauty. It is sadly unspecific about what makes for handsome nostrils and withers, though it does mention a "leathery mouth."

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Among regulations about the age, breeding and teething of the dromedaries, contest rules say "[i]n case of fraud to change the natural form of participating camels, the participant shall be excluded immediately" — with violators banned from this year's contest and the next five sessions of the festival, along with possible legal penalties for violating the kingdom's animal welfare laws.

Camel owner Ali Obaid told The National that cheaters will get creative to get an edge and will alter an animal's appearance for months before it's sold to a buyer.

"For example they start to pull the lips of the camel, they pull it by hand like this every day to make it longer," he explained to the newspaper. "Secondly, they use hormones to make it more muscular and Botox makes the head bigger and bigger. Everyone wants to be a winner."

The beauty contest, launched in 2000, is a centerpiece of the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival. Last year, authorities moved the festival from a remote location in the desert to a site an hour and a half from Riyadh, and this year attendance has increased by a third, according to Reuters.

"The camel," the chief judge of the show, Fawzan al-Madi, told the newswire, "is a symbol of Saudi Arabia. We used to preserve it out of necessity, now we preserve it as a pastime."</s>Twelve camels have been disqualified from Saudi Arabia’s annual camel beauty contest after receiving botulinum toxin injections to make their pouts look more alluring.

Saudi authorities have raised the profile of the King Abdulaziz camel festival by relocating it from the desert to the outskirts of the capital, Riyadh.

This year’s event has been mired in scandal after the lure of US$31.8 million in prize money tempted some owners to cheat.

The key attributes in camel beauty are considered to be delicate ears and fulsome snouts. But there are strict rules against the use of drugs in the lips, or shaved or clipped body parts.

This year, a dozen camels were banned after a vet was caught performing plastic surgery on them.

Camels were also given Botox-type injections at his clinic, according to Saudi media.

“They use Botox for the lips, the nose, the upper lips, the lower lips and even the jaw,” Ali al-Mazrouei, the son of an Emirati camel breeder, told the UAE daily the National.

“It makes the head more inflated so when the camel comes it’s like, ‘Oh, look at how big that head is. It has big lips, a big nose.’”

After the banning decision, the chief judge of the show, Fawzan al-Madi, said: “The camel is a symbol of Saudi Arabia. We used to preserve it out of necessity, now we preserve it as a pastime.”

The month-long festival is the biggest in the Gulf and involves up 30,000 camels.</s>12 camels have been disqualified from a beauty pageant in Saudi Arabia after getting Botox injections. Yes, you read that right. According to The National, the animals were disqualified from the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival after receiving the cosmetic enhancements.

"They use Botox for the lips, the nose, the upper lips, the lower lips and even the jaw," Ali Al Mazrouei, son of a top Emirati breeder, told the publication. "It makes the head more inflated so when the camel comes it's like, 'Oh look at how big is that head is. It has big lips, a big nose.'"</s>Batty eyelashes, pouty lips and perfectly placed humps — not all camels are blessed with such good looks. Enter cosmetic enhancements. A dozen camels were banned from a beauty contest during the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival in Saudi Arabia after they were given Botox injections. About 30,000 camels are brought to the annual event in Al Dhana, near Riyadh, for racing, an obedience competition and a beauty pageant. The prize money totals $57 million, with $31.8 million reserved for “pageantry.” But some people apparently tried to cheat the system — enhancing the animals’ natural beauty. “They use Botox for the lips, the nose, the upper lips, the lower lips and even the jaw,” Ali Al Mazrouei, the son of a top Emirati breeder, told the newspaper. “It makes the head more inflated so when the camel comes it’s like, ‘Oh look at how big that head is. It has big lips, a big nose.’” Saudi media reported that a veterinarian was caught performing cosmetic surgery on camels — giving them Botox and making their ears smaller, according to the National. A pageant guide says cheaters may even “pull the lips of the camel.” “They pull it by hand like this every day to make it longer. And he says they use hormones to make it more muscular and Botox makes the head bigger and bigger. Everyone wants to be a winner.” Others may lather them with oil to make their coats appear darker.</s>Twelve camels have been disqualified from an annual beauty pageant in Saudi Arabia, outside Riyadh. The handlers of the camels allegedly injected botox into the faces of the camels to accentuate facial features. The pageant is part of a larger festival that celebrates bedouin life in the desert.</s>Around 30,000 beauty pageant contestants walked on a dusty ramp in Saudi Arabia, but unfortunately, 12 were kicked out of the annual competition and the reason is Botox. They were disqualified from the beauty pageant because their owners used Botox to make them look more handsome.

Every year, Saudi Arabia organises King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, a beauty pageant for camels in the kingdom. This year, the month-long beauty contest, which started on January 1, is taking place on the outskirts of the capital Riyadh. The month-long event also features an auction of the camels and camel racing.

"The camel is a symbol of Saudi Arabia. We used to preserve it out of necessity, now we preserve it as a pastime," the chief judge of the show, Fawzan al-Madi, explained it to Reuters.

A panel of judges rates tens of thousands of camels based on the size of their lips, cheeks, heads and knees. The prize money of the competition is around $57 million (213 million riyals), so it comes as a no surprise that thousands of camels participate in the beauty pageant.

But this year, a Botox scandal has hit the competition due to which 12 camels were disqualified from the pageant for violating the rules.

"They use Botox for the lips, the nose, the upper lips, the lower lips and even the jaw," Ali Al Mazrouei, 31, a regular attendee and son of a top Emirati breeder told The National. "It makes the head more inflated so when the camel comes it's like, 'Oh look at how big is that head is. It has big lips, a big nose'."

Due to the massive prize money, several camel owners fear that Botox-injected camel could take home the amount. In fact, before the start of the competition report surfaced online that a veterinarian was caught performing plastic surgery on camels. Several owners want to see stronger punishment enforced on the culprit.

"The people who are just in the camel competition to make it more valuable, they are cheating everyone," Al Mazourei said. "A fine should be applied. In camel racing, whoever is using drugs is fined about 50,000 Dirhams in Abu Dhabi. The fine is not yet applied for beauty camels."</s>Twelve camels were disqualified from a beauty contest after judges got the hump over them using botox.

The animals were given jabs to make their pouts look more alluring for the annual event in Saudi Arabia.

Other measures of camel beauty are delicate ears and fulsome snouts.

There are rules against using drugs in the lips and shaving body parts.

The 12 camels were banned after a vet who gave them botox at his clinic was caught performing plastic surgery on them.

Ali al-Mazrouei, the son of an Emirates camel breeder, said: “They use Botox for the lips, the nose and even the jaw.

"It makes the head more inflated.”

The month-long King Abdulaziz camel festival at capital Riyadh is the biggest in the Gulf, involving some 30,000 camels and 600,000 visitors.

But the event has been mired in scandal after the lure of £22.6million in prize cash tempted cheats.

Chief judge Fawzan al-Madi said: “The camel is a symbol of Saudi Arabia.

"We used to preserve it out of necessity, now we preserve it as a pastime.”</s>Camels are seen during a beauty contest as part of the annual King Abdulaziz Camel Festival in Rumah, some 160 kilometers east of Riyadh.

What do Megyn Kelly and Saudi Arabia's King Abdulaziz Camel Festival have in common? It turns out, both the morning-show host and the organizers of this hoofed-animal parade have a habit of worrying about other beings' plastic-surgery habits.

Officials with the King Abdulaziz festival kicked out a dozen camels from a camel beauty contest for receiving Botox injections, according to a report published today (Jan. 23) in The National, an Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates-based newspaper.

More than 30,000 camels and 300,000 human visitors showed up for the second annual King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, which runs from Jan. 1to Feb. 1 this year, The National reported. And the top spot of that horde of humped herbivores is worth a pretty penny: This year's prize money totals $57 million, with $31.8 million set aside for awards for "pageantry." [Why Do Camels Have Humps?]

Perhaps it's all that cash driving the sketchy behavior among camel showers.

"They use Botox for the lips, the nose, the upper lips, the lower lips and even the jaw," Ali Al Mazrouei, a festival regular, told The National. "It makes the head more inflated, so when the camel comes it's like, 'Oh look at how big that head is. It has big lips, a big nose.'"

Days before the festival, a veterinarian was also "caught red-handed" both giving camels Botox and performing surgery to reduce the size of their ears, The National reported.

The National also reported that, in addition to the height, shape and placement of its hump, "a full, droopy lip and large features are essential to achieving camel celebrity status in the multimillion-dollar industry of camel pageantry."

The festival website displays this helpful infographic on camel beauty standards.

For a full rundown of camel-show cheating methods, as well as information about the festival, read The National's article here.</s>Twelve camels have been disqualified from an annual Saudi beauty contest after their owners were found to have used Botox.

The animals were ejected from the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, taking place near Riyadh, for violating strict beauty contest rules.

Cash prizes for camel competitions at the 28-day festival total $57million, so pressure to cheat can be intense.

A new handbook was issued to beauty contest entrants last year, Newshub reports.

'Camels that are found with drugs in the lips, shaved, dyed in any parts of the body, or with changes from natural form are not allowed,' the handbook says.

Aside from the beauty contest there are awards for camel racing, obedience training, camel hair art and the best photographs of camels.

Chief judge of the show, Fawzan al-Madi, told Reuters: 'The camel is a symbol of Saudi Arabia.

'We used to preserve it out of necessity, now we preserve it as a pastime.'

In recent years the Saudi royal family have boosted the profile of the camel festival as they emphasise aspects of traditional culture, while at the same time pushing for societal reform.

Last year the event was moved from a remote desert to the outskirts of the capital.

On a rocky desert plateau, the government has erected a permanent venue to host the headline events such as races and a show competition.

The pavilion features an auction where top camels can fetch millions of riyals.

There are food stalls and souvenir shops, a petting zoo featuring the world's tallest and shortest camels and a museum with life-size sand sculptures of camels.

There are also tents for tasting camel's milk and viewing camel-hair textiles, and a planetarium showing how Arabs rode camels through the desert guided by the stars.

Organizers say this 'heritage village' will expand in coming years as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman takes the reins through a newly-created official Camel Club established by royal decree last year.

Halfway through this year's festival, attendance is up about a third from last year, with about 300,000 people making the one and a half hour trip from Riyadh so far, said Fahd al-Semmari, a Camel Club board member.

'The vision is for the (festival) to become a global, pioneering forum for all classes of people to come for entertainment, knowledge and competition.'</s>Twelve animals were disqualified at Saudi Arabia’s annual camel beauty contest after judges found that their owners had injected them with botox to give them larger snouts and “attractive pouts”, The National reported.

Every year, thousands of people enrol their camels for the King Abdulaziz camel festival. The animals are judged by their delicate ears, full snouts, droopy lips and large features, the daily reported.

There is a strict policy against the use of drugs, and the winner gets $31.8 million (approximately Rs 202 crore) in prize money.

Around 30,000 camels are taking part in the event this year. The contest was first held in 2000, BBC reported. In 2017, authorities moved the festival from a remote desert to a venue closer to Capital Riyadh. At least three lakh people have visited the festival since it began on January 1.

In the lead up to the pageant, authorities caught a vet doing plastic surgery on the camels and injecting them with botulinum toxin injections, local media reported.

“They use Botox for the lips, the nose, the upper and lower lips and even the jaw,” Ali al-Mazrouei, the son of an Emirati camel breeder, told The National. “It makes the head more inflated, so when the camel comes it’s like, ‘Oh, look at how big that head is. It has big lips, a big nose’.”

The chief judge of the show, Fawzan al-Madi, told Reuters that the camel is a symbol of Saudi Arabia that used to be preserved out of necessity. “Now, we preserve it as a pastime,” al-Madi said.
A dozen camels are disqualified from a beauty pageant at the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, near Riyadh, after reports in the media about injections with botox. A veterinarian is caught performing plastic surgery to make the camels more attractive. Rules prohibit to change the natural form of participating camels.