Saudi Arabia’s Camel Club has introduced travel insurance to cover accidents that take place when transporting camels, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday.
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The club has partnered with the Swiss Finance House to insure against road accidents and deaths that take place while camels are being picked up or dropped off.
Owners are also able to check on the condition of their camels during transportation using the new service.
More than 1.8 million people in Saudi Arabia own camels, according to the Camel Club.
The prized dromedaries can fetch eye-watering sums at auction, with some of the most sought-after specimens being worth millions.
The Camel Club was established by royal decree in 2017, with the Kingdom’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman holding the title of General Supervisor.
It is responsible for preserving rare breeds, as well as documenting statistics, researching medical conditions, supervising festivals and competitions, and liaising with other similar clubs in the region.
Camels are a significant part of Saudi Arabia’s cultural heritage, having provided food and transport for desert Bedouin communities for centuries.
Today, the humped ungulates are celebrated in various festivals, auctions, and even beauty pageants.
In November, the Kingdom hosted what was billed as the world’s largest camel festival – the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, north of the capital Riyadh.
Prizes for competition winners reached a combined total of $66 million (250,000,000 Saudi riyals), SPA reported at the time.
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