Camels Anyone?

It is actually a few days past the actual anniversary of the pet food recall but an article in yesterday's New York Times reminded me of the anguish that owners of poisoned pets endure. The article was about the camel breeding industry in Saudi Arabia, a multi-million dollar enterprise, and mentioned the sudden deaths of as many as 5,000 camels last August for "unexplained circumstances."

The story quotes breeder Fowzn al-Madr, who said, "The camels were dying one after the other. Usually when you have a sickness, it dies with the animals. But all these deaths? This was a new kind of tragedy for us."

It turns out that the camels had been poisoned by food contaminated with an antibiotic salinomycin that is often added to chicken food but is lethal to camels. The mill that manufactured the camel food had tried to increase its output and had made the camel food on a factory line usually reserved for chicken food.

Camels are revered and adored beasts in Saudi Arabia. There are camel beauty pageants, similar to dog and horse shows that are extremely popular and owners arrange parties in the desert (their ranches) to show off their prized animals. The attraction is a combination of nostalgia and human-animal bonding. "When you get to know the camels, you feel love for them," says breeder Haza al-Shammari. "My camels are like my children, my family."

Last month, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia honored this relationship by ordering "payment of 20,000 riyals, about $5,300 for every camel that died from eating the contaminated feed." The article does not specify who is making these payments, the food company or the kingdom, but the price seems to be right. Breeder Maydr is happy to close the book on this unfortunate incident and is grateful for the help. "It's a fair price," he decreed.

I have a feeling that pet owners in the US who lost beloved animals would appreciate similar recognition of their loss.