Animal welfare advocates have long protested the treatment of camels at Cairo’s Barqash camel market, but this year Egyptian authorities are taking concrete steps to stop the abuse of the animals. The market is the scene of intense activity ahead of the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha, when butchers flock there to buy camels brought in from Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia and many of the animals die either on the way, or are badly injured – advocates say tortured – before they are sacrificed for their meat. As Cairo photojournalist Hamada Elrasam explains, a police crackdown on mistreatment of the camels included making arrests and installing surveillance cameras in the market.
Egypt Cracks Down on Abuse of Camels
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Despite the new controls, Abdul-Muhsin, who sells batons used to beat the camels in order to drive and control them, still does brisk business in the days before Eid. (VOA/H. Elrasam)
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In the market, beating the camels is prohibited now. That, in some instances, has made the job more difficult for vendors and buyers who struggle to load the animals onto trucks. (VOA/H. Elrasam)
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Youssef, 11, son of a camel vendor, has learned that tenderness works. "When this camel arrived, it was acting wild, so we put him on a leash, which hurt him. That is why I knit these soft cloths for him. Now he is quiet. He likes me.” (VOA/H. Elrasam)
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Herders say that attending training and awareness sessions has made them more careful – and humane - in handling their animals. (VOA/H. Elrasam)
