The King Abdulaziz Camel Festival kicked off earlier this month in Saudi Arabia which invites breeders of the most beautiful camels to compete for a grand prize totaling some $66 million.
Unfortunately, 40 camels had to be forcibly removed from the competition after it was discovered they received Botox injections and other artificial touch-ups to make them more attractive to the judges.
Jurors decide the winner based on "the shape of the camels' heads, necks, humps, dress and postures." And this year, contest officials discovered that dozens of breeders had "stretched out the lips and noses of camels, used hormones to boost the beasts' muscles, injected camels' heads and lips with Botox to make them bigger, inflated body parts with rubber bands, and used fillers to relax their faces," according to ABC News.
The country's state-run state-run Saudi Press Agency reported that "the club is keen to halt all acts of tampering and deception in the beautification of camels," and added that organizers would "impose strict penalties on manipulators."
The camel contest is at the heart of the massive carnival, which also features camel races, sales and other festivities typically showcasing thousands of other animals.
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