At least 43 camel owners manipulated the appearance of the animals with various methods, including Botox injections.
Others resorted to using rubber bands to distort body parts or gel implants.
Apparently there are enough reasons to turn to cheating when nothing else works since winners get prizes equivalent to about 66 million dollars and with the sales they can make as much.
The management of the Camel Club of Saudi Arabia used state-of-the-art technology to judge, although visual inspection is key in order to compare with breed profiles.
Those elements include distinctive features of a supposed ideal specimen, gait, and physical proportions prior to undergoing X-rays, ultrasound tests, and genetic testing.
In recent years, camel beauty contests began to spread around in nations of the Arabian peninsula, one of the most competitive is the Al Dhafra in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Such events pay tribute to the traditional Bedouin heritage of the area, which made use of these hardy animals to face the harsh desert.
pgh/lcr