Tharwat Mohamed
Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Qassim University, Buraidah, Saudi Arabia.
Front Vet Sci. 2025 Jul 14;12:1632022. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1632022. eCollection 2025.
This review highlights the emerging issue of illegal tampering in dromedary camels, particularly in the context of camel festivals where aesthetic alterations are performed to enhance appearance. These manipulations-often conducted by unqualified individuals-raise serious ethical and animal welfare concerns. Common techniques include mechanical and chemical modifications such as lip stretching, use of local anesthetics to alter facial expression, ear trimming, and injections of substances like silicone, fillers, and botulinum toxin (Botox) to modify head profiles. Hormonal treatments, including testosterone and growth hormone, are administered to induce exaggerated physical traits, often at the cost of fertility and health. Detection of tampering is increasingly challenging due to evolving methods and requires experienced personnel. Visual assessment remains the primary diagnostic step, followed by imaging techniques (e.g., ultrasonography, radiography, thermography) and hormonal assays. Economically, tampering distorts market values by misleading buyers on key animal traits, contributing to significant information asymmetry and undermining pastoral economies. It also introduces serious welfare issues, often carried out without veterinary oversight, resulting in pain, infection risk, and long-term functional impairments. Beyond health and economic implications, tampering undermines cultural integrity, erodes trust in livestock markets, and threatens food security in camel-dependent communities. Addressing this issue requires a multidisciplinary strategy involving scientific research, policy enforcement, community engagement, and education. Standardized inspection prostocols and mandatory certification can strengthen veterinary oversight and deter malpractice. In conclusion, the rise of illegal tampering in dromedary camels presents complex challenges to animal welfare, market integrity, and societal trust. A coordinated and ethically grounded response is essential to safeguard both animal and human livelihoods.
本综述重点介绍了单峰骆驼非法篡改这一新兴问题，尤其是在骆驼节的背景下，人们为了提升外观而进行审美改变。这些操作——通常由不合格人员进行——引发了严重的伦理和动物福利问题。常见技术包括机械和化学改造，如唇部拉伸、使用局部麻醉剂改变面部表情、耳部修剪，以及注射硅酮、填充剂和肉毒杆菌毒素（保妥适）等物质来改变头部轮廓。使用睾酮和生长激素等激素治疗来诱导夸张的身体特征，往往以生育能力和健康为代价。由于方法不断演变，检测篡改行为越来越具有挑战性，需要有经验的人员。视觉评估仍然是主要的诊断步骤，随后是成像技术（如超声检查、放射照相、热成像）和激素检测。在经济方面，篡改行为通过在关键动物特征上误导买家来扭曲市场价值，导致严重的信息不对称并损害牧业经济。这还带来了严重的福利问题，通常是在没有兽医监督的情况下进行，导致疼痛、感染风险和长期功能损害。除了对健康和经济的影响外，篡改行为还损害文化完整性、侵蚀对牲畜市场的信任，并威胁依赖骆驼的社区的粮食安全。解决这个问题需要一个多学科战略，包括科学研究、政策执行、社区参与和教育。标准化检查方案和强制认证可以加强兽医监督并威慑不当行为。总之，单峰骆驼非法篡改行为的增加给动物福利、市场诚信和社会信任带来了复杂的挑战。协调一致且基于伦理的应对措施对于保障动物和人类生计至关重要。
