Saudi Arabian officials reportedly banned 40 contestants from this year's camel beauty pageant over the use of Botox injections and other acts of "tampering and deception."
The move comes as part of a crackdown on the use of Botox, face-lifts, and other beauty alterations in the event, which is part of the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival that began last week. Thousands of camels participate in the festival's activities, which include the pageant, a petting zoo, and camel racing. Breeders can win up to $66 million in prize money in the beauty contest.
“The club is keen to halt all acts of tampering and deception in the beautification of camels" and organizers would “impose strict penalties on manipulators," the Saudi Press Agency said Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.
Each year the camels are judged on the shape of their heads, humps, necks, how they are dressed, and their posture. However, this year, authorities noticed an increased use of Botox to make the animals' lips and heads bigger, the stretching of camels' noses and lips, and the use of hormones to increase muscle size.
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The monthlong festival is held each December near the capital city of Riyadh. Thousands of Saudis gather to celebrate the camel's place in Arab history, a reminder of the Bedouin tradition of camel breeding, a multimillion-dollar industry.