More than ten camels were disqualified from this year’s 'King Abdulaziz Camel Beauty Contest' (Mahrajan Al Aibil) in Saudi Arabia because their trainers used Botox, The National reported.
Wait, what? You read that right.
Dozens of camels were injected with botox days before their run in the month-long annual pageant, which is currently taking place in the kingdom.
According to The National, this wasn't the only type of procedure the animals were subjected to, some also had the size of their ears reduced.
Speaking to the English-language daily, Ali Al Mazrouei, a regular attendee of the contest and son of a top Emirati camel breeder, said:
"They use Botox for the lips, the nose, the upper lips, the lower lips and even the jaw. 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'."
Considered one of the largest contests of its kind in the Gulf, the pageant sees thousands of camel breeders, handlers, and trainers descend on Riyadh to take part in the cultural event.
This year, many of them have been turned away amid the botox scandal.
Several camel handlers have now been barred from the pageant
Speaking to Al Arabiya, Theeb Al-Meri, head of the medical team that evaluates camels taking part in the pageant, said experts found evidence that enhancing procedures had been performed on camels taking part of this year's pageant.
He added that these actions constitute cheating and have lead to disqualification of several handlers from the contest. They will be barred from participating in the pageant for five years and will also face fines.
Al-Meri also noted that in cases where a camel is found to have undergone lifting or liposuction procedures, handlers are referred to the festival's animal welfare department because these cases are dealt with as acts of animal cruelty.
The news has gone viral all around the globe
News of the disqualifications is now making headlines around the globe and naturally, it's also going viral on social media.