Nowadays, camels are not only bred for milk, meat or for transportation, they are also a way to generate money to become a millionaire. Camel breeding and camel racing has been the industry in most parts of the Middle East bring millions of dollars especially for thoroughbreds and winners of the race.
Racing camels does not come cheap as these humpbacks are fed on a rich diet which includes dates, eggs, fresh milk, honey and vitamins. Faisal, a camel breeder said, "We spend £1,000 a month to prepare a camel for a race."
He added that the Gulf rulers generally specify the prices of the camels. "They buy camels from their owners and raise them, but never sell them. The rulers participate on an equal footing with their citizens in the competitions."
Faisal said that the camel's price starts at $55,000 (£40,000) but thoroughbreds are pricier. Winning camels can go between $5 million to $10 million while others can go as high as $30 million, cites a report from BBC.
Traditional camel racing involves jockey that mans the camel. During the past years, children were the ones that serve as jockeys drawing worldwide criticisms.
Al Jaith, Al Nofali's startup replaced human jockeys with robot jockeys that started around 2002 after Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan prohibits child riders.
"In order to measure your camel's speed you need a car [in order to drive next to the animal and read the speedometer]. In order to measure its time you need a stopwatch," Al Nofali said of current training techniques.
According to Wamda, the product he's developing measures heart rate, speed, "duration time" distance and location data via a device attached to the camel as well a data analytics program translating it into easily understood information. Al Nofali came from the UAE's camel racing center of Al Wathaba and grew up watching the sport. The name 'Al Jaith' was derived from a camel species that was a warrior favorite.
The device is still in prototype with little enhancement product still in progress. He stated that he was working with some of the design companies to make the final design. As soon as Al Jaith began working, a second field of trial will start with those initial adopters. If it becomes successful, commercialization comes next; however the date for release is yet to be determined.
Camel racing is not only held in desert. For the first time, camels will set its foot on green grasses. Beverly Racecourse will host the camel derby on Thursday, August 11. The charity event will be organized by Reckitt Benckiser for the Save The Children foundation. Eight experienced riders will be chosen to ride the camels in the event having two heats and a final, the Hull Daily Mail reports.
Camel racing is now considered as an elite sport, aside from horse racing. These race camels and those that are for sale get extra care from their owners and breeders to generate higher amount for the animals.
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