Saudi Arabian 'beauty pageant' disqualifies 40 camels for using botox, other enhancements

• The pageant is part of the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, where $66 million are at stake.
• Camels are judged for their beauty on the basis of several physical attributes.
• Some "advanced" technology was employed to figure out whether the animals are naturally "beautiful."

A Saudi Arabian "beauty pageant" has disqualified 40 camels from the contest after it emerged that their owners used botox and other cosmetic enhancements to make the animals look more aesthetically appealing.

According to a report by the BBC, the pageant is part of the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, where $66 million are at stake. 

Per the report, camels are judged for their beauty on the basis of several physical attributes, including long droopy lips, a nicely-shaped hump, and a big nose. 

The report further revealed that the animals were not merely judged on face value, as some "advanced" technology was employed to figure out whether the animals are naturally "beautiful" or have their features been artificially enhanced. 

All the camels participating in the contest were first taken to a hall where specialists scrutinied their external appearance and their movements to assess whether they were physically fit. Later on, samples were taken from the animals for genetic analysis and other tests, while their torsos, necks, and heads were scanned with X-ray and 3D ultrasound machines, the BBC report detailed.

The King Abdulaziz Camel Festival is the biggest event of its kind, which expects to attract as many as 100,000 tourists each day, the report said. 

"Some 33,000 camel owners from as far away as the US, Russia and France are participating in the event, which began on 1 December and runs for 40 days."