UAE camel pageant a hit

From RIA Novosit:

The ongoing Al Dhafra Festival camel beauty pageant in the United Arab Emirates challenges the global financial recession with camel sales reaching almost $16.5 million in the first three days.

Emirate camel breeder Hamdan Al Falahi accounted for more than half of the turnover, buying camels worth over $8.7 million.

A total of 1,200 owners from all Persian Gulf states have brought 28,000 of the most beautiful she-camels to take part in the core activity of the festival, a beauty pageant known locally as Camel Mazayen. The winner will get a cash prize of $11.4 million.

Other camel competitions include the best milking camel mare, as well as the quickest racing mare.

The event, which is to last until next Monday, is visited by some 6,000 people daily.

Al Quds adds that a single camel was sold for $2.72 million, a world record, barely beating the previous record from 2008.