Arab News offer a look at the Camel Festival taking place in northern Saudi Arabia. The article notes that the competition is fierce, but the rewards can be substantial. There’s probably more information about camels than you really need to know, but it’s interesting…

Desert hunks with humps
Javed Iqbal | Arab News

When 83-year-old Salem Saud Al-Otaibi moved to the desert of Hafr Al-Baten at the age of seven to spend the rest of his life there breeding camels, little did he know that one day he would become one of the wealthiest bedouins on the Peninsula.

Just last week, prior to having his name registered for the 26-day King Abdulaziz Annual Camel Festival at Umm Ruquaiba, 350 km north of Riyadh, Otaibi sold one of his 31 prized camels for SR400,000.

“Since the age of seven, when I first came across camels, I have been infatuated by them,” said Al-Otaibi, adding that he quit the city and adopted a nomadic life – and he’s never regretting his decision.

“I myself pulled water for camels from the well, and slept in the pen with them at night to ensure their safety from poachers,” he reminisced, and disclosed that he had taken part in every camel pageant since its start 10 years ago.
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Here’s Saudi Gazette‘s report: Camel contest ends beautifully