Camel beauty pageant in December

posted on 21/11/2010: 28 views

Hundreds of camels from the UAE and other Gulf nations will line up next month to show their good looks in the latest beauty contest involving the massive desert animal to be held by the country, local newspapers reported on Saturday.

The Abu Dhabi Culture and Heritage Society will organise the December 16-25 pageantry in the Western region, the reports said.

Authorities have started to conduct tests on all participating camels from the UAE and those coming from nearby Gulf states to ensure they are free of diseases.

"Test will continue on all camels round the clock before and during the festival,” the Society said in a statement.

Large prizes are earmarked for the winners in camel beauty contests and races, among the most popular activities in the oil-rich Gulf.

At the end of 2008, the UAE had the fifth largest number of camels in the Arab world, standing at around 378,000. Saudi Arabia had around 870,000 camels while Somalia and Sudan controlled more than two thirds of the Arab region's 15-million camel wealth, with around 7.1 and 4.4 million camels respectively. – Emirates 24|7

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