Football-mad fans out in Qatar for the World Cup could have become the straw breaking the camel's backs after it was declared that the animals are being “violated” due to their popularity as a local tourist attraction.
Like donkeys on Blackpool Beach, camels are a popular ride for visitors to the Gulf state.
But with hundreds of thousands of football fans visiting the country, the popularity of the camel industry has boomed beyond all expectation.
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And now stories of camels refusing to “work” any more, or being forced give passengers – regardless of size – rides for nearly 20 hours a day have been coming out of Qatar.
Cashing in on the opportunity are the animals’ handlers who, thanks to the World Cup, are making several times more than they normally would.
“There’s a lot of money coming in,” said Ali Jaber al Ali, a 49 year-old Bedouin camel herder from Sudan. “Thank God, but it’s a lot of pressure."
On an average weekday before the World Cup, Ali said his company would offer around 20 rides per day and 50 on weekends.
Since the World Cup started, he the men he works with are providing 500 rides in the morning and another 500 in the evening – the company has gone from having 15 camels to 60.
He said: “Tour guides want to move things fast, so they add pressure on us.”
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On a recent busy afternoon, during the tournament's group stage, hundreds of visitors waited for their turn to mount the humpbacked animals.
Camels that did not rise were forced up by their handlers.
When one camel let out a loud grunt, a woman from Australia shrieked: “It sounds like they’re being violated!”
Ali said he knows when an animal is tired, usually if it refuses to get up or sits back down after rising to its feet.
He can identify each camel by its facial features.
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But the sudden rise in tourists means there’s less time to rest between rides – with some rides lasting up to around 30 minutes.
A camel normally gets a rest after every five rides, but that also isn't happening any more.
The rides, however, are not going down well with all fans.
Pablo Corigliano, 47, said he was hoping for something more authentic.
The excursions start on a stretch of desert by the side of a highway, not far from the industrial city of Mesaieed and its vast oil refineries.
He said: “I was expecting something more wild.
“I thought I would be crossing the desert, but when I arrived, I saw a typical tourist point.”
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