Doha Supervisors of camel races in the Gulf region have warned of the arrival of the Corona virus to camels, after recording infections with the virus in lions and seahorses in zoos in Africa.
In 2012, scientists believed that camels were the source of the first type of Corona virus known as the coronavirus that causes the “Middle East Respiratory Syndrome”, and this prompted the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to take a set of preventive measures at that time, including limiting the presence of camels in the Hajj areas.
Camel races in the Gulf are considered one of the most important heritage races, and hundreds of millions are allocated to them annually, in order to ensure their spread and transmission from generation to generation, in addition to the fact that the price of camels that participate in the race reaches millions of riyals.
Fear for this large industry prompted the head of the Saudi Camel Club, Fahd bin Hathleen, to warn that camels in the Kingdom would be infected with the Corona virus, especially since no vaccines are available for them, after injuries were recorded among lions in a South African zoo.
call for protection
Bin Hethlin called – in a tweet to him on his Twitter account – camel owners to protect their desert animals, some of which are worth millions of dollars, from the Corona virus, asking them to be careful and monitor the camels and their health status.
The number of camels in Saudi Arabia alone exceeds one million heads, most of which are registered, numbered and distributed under their skins, to be like an electronic identity that distinguishes them from others, and facilitates their participation in competitions organized by the Kingdom.
The sixth edition of the “King Abdul Aziz” Camel Festival, the largest event of its kind in the world, is currently being held, and the value of its prizes has been raised this year to 250 million riyals (66 million dollars).
Veterinarian Abdel Qader Adam believes that Corona is a large family of viruses, the most famous of which occurred in camels in the Middle East in 2012 under the name Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. Duration and stopped permanently.
Adam denied recording any infection with “Covid-19” in camels so far (Al-Jazeera)Adam added – in an interview with Al Jazeera Net – that the danger of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome was the possibility of its transmission between humans and animals, and this caused a great state of panic at that time until this virus was eliminated.
The doctor specializing in the care of health camels during the various races explained that there are types of viruses that infect camels, some of which infect the respiratory system and others that affect the skin, pointing out that so far it has not been proven that camels were infected with “Covid-19”.
mixing with humans
Adam attributed the presence of many injuries among animals in zoos to the fact that these injuries were transmitted from humans to animals, because in these gardens there is a great mixing between visitors and the displayed animals, while it has not yet been proven that the infection returned to humans again from the animal, because it will be through a mutant New because these viruses are constantly mutating to adapt to the environment and be more able to evade the work of the immune system.
Because there is no valid vaccination for animals, including camels, from the “Covid-19” virus, Adam called on all camel breeders to carefully monitor them during this period and follow up on any changes that may occur to them, pointing out that there are tests for camels similar to the tests for detecting Corona “BCR”. “.
The veterinarian called for the necessity of implementing public health measures by purifying the places where camels live, and preventing them from mixing with other animals in the same environment, as well as careful veterinary supervision, nutrition monitoring and health care.
Adam urged breeders to notify veterinary clinics when any symptoms similar to those of “Covid-19” occur, or any different symptoms, to find out the cause and deal with it quickly.
