"The days are long past when camels were used for transportation. Today, they are raised more for their milk and meat, for racing and, yes, for their beauty. Camel beauty pageants, in which camels are judged on their looks and dressage, are held all over Saudi Arabia. They have become so popular in recent years that a respected Saudi cleric recently issued a fatwa against them, saying that they encouraged pride.
The death in January of Mashoufan - a male camel who earned celebrity status after winning first prize in a number of pageants and was said to be worth more than $4.5 million - was widely reported, and his owner received condolences from around the country.
Camel breeding is a multimillion dollar industry in Saudi Arabia, and late winter is an especially popular time for wealthy Saudi camel owners to arrange parties in the desert to spend time with their favorite camels."-IHT
