Last week, in a world's first, a new 40 million dirhams ($10.9 million) camel hospital opened in Al Marmoum, Dubai, with state of the art treatment on par with that offered for racehorses, Emirates News Agency reported.
"There are a lot of equine hospitals because horses have existed for centuries, as have their races, but for camels, no," said Mohamed Al Bulooshi, Director of the hospital.
"We found that we must care for camels not only by breeding and raising them but also by being able to medically treat them," Al Bulooshi added.
The hospital will be able to treat up to 20 camels at any given time and is equipped with a small racetrack to get the camels rehabilitated after their medical procedures.
Its customised equipment was adapted from equestrian medical equipment to accommodate camel treatment. A surgery starts at around 3500 dirhams ($990) and an X-ray or ultrasound at 400 dirhams ($110).
The hospital intends to help in the research and development of camel medicine.
"We are very interested in preserving our heritage"
"We are very interested in preserving our heritage," Al Bulooshi told reporters.
Camels remain an important part of the Gulf Arab state’s heritage. Camel races and camel beauty pageants are a favorite recreation for locals, and some animals fetch millions of dollars at auctions in the UAE.
In addition, numerous members of staff have been recruited to work at the hospital from the UK and Mexico. There are also future plans to carry out medical research to improve understanding of camel biology.
