According to the Saudi state news agency, over 40 entries of camels were disqualified from a ‘beauty’ competition after Saudi authorities discovered that the candidates had received Botox injections and other cosmetic touch-ups.
These are not human contestants, these are camels. A crackdown on botoxed camels was underway in Saudi Arabia and that was no laughing matter, a whopping $66 million was on the line.
It was one of the biggest crackdowns that Saudi Arabia has witnessed, the target wasn’t the prince or a high-profile dissenter. This time, Saudis are cracking down on botox camels. The kingdom is hosting a beauty pageant for camels.
It happened at the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival. This is a highly competitive event, a cash prize of $66 million is on the line. So, a few breeders decided to play dirty. They gave the camels botox injections and other beauty injections in an effort to win.
These cosmetic innovations were not only unfair to competitors. Crackdowns like this one have become a regular affair at this carnival. The camel beauty contest is an attempt to preserve the place of the animal in Saudi traditions and culture. A part of that now, is keeping botox away from these camels so they don’t look too good!