Wia dis foto come from, Getty Images
4 February 2026
Read am in 3 mins
Camels for Saudi Arabia now go need passport, as part of efforts to develop and regulate di the kingdom camel sector in line wit Saudi Vision 2030.
Saudi Arabia vice minister of environment, water and agriculture, Mansour Almushaiti on Tuesday announce say di kontri don launch di “Camel Passport” for di millions of camels for di kontri.
E say di aim of di passport na to regulate di sector, improve service efficiency and enhance dia credibility for both local and international markets.
“Dis dey come as part of di ministry effort, through di National Livestock & Fisheries Development Program, to introduce unified digital and regulatory tools to support di sector sustainability,” Almushaiti add.
Kontinu to dey read
One statement on di ministry official X account on Tuesday, 3 February bin include di foto of di green passport wey dem stamp wit di kontri coat of arms, plus di foto of one golden camel.
For 2024, Ridyah estimate say around 2.2 million camels dey for di kingdom.
Skip X postAllow X content?
Dis article contain content wey X provide. We ask for una permission before anytin dey loaded, as dem fit dey use cookies and oda technologies. You fit wan read di X cookie policy and privacy policy before accepting. To view dis content choose ‘accept and continue’.
Accept and kontinuWarning: Di BBC no dey responsible for di content of external sites.
End of X post
Why Saudi Arabia introduce camel passport
Camels na one of di ogbonge source of transportation for Arabia, e dey give dia owners status plus e dey fuel di rise of lucrative breeding industry.
According to di ministry, di camel passport go serve as official, accredited identification document, wey link each animal to verified health and regulatory data.
Oga Almushaiti explain say dem design di system to document camel information, ownership, and breeds. E say dis na to improve service, increase di reliability of transactions, and strengthen veterinary and regulatory responses.
Di ministry say di passport go function as comprehensive identification record. E go include di camel microchip number, passport number, name, date of birth, breed, sex, color, place of birth, and issuing authority. Photographs of di animal from both di right and left sides also dey included to ensure accurate identification.
Wia dis foto come from, Getty Images, @MEWA_KSA
How di passport go be like
According to di ministry, one key feature of di passport na detailed vaccination record, in which veterinary vaccinations dey clearly documented, wey help to establish reliable health file for each camel and supporting efforts to monitor infectious diseases and enable rapid response.
Di ministry add say di camel passport go help regulate di market and protect owners’ rights, make proof of ownership easier, foster greater transparency and trust throughout di industry.
MEWA also highlight di project strategic role for livestock management. “By creating accurate database of camels categorized by sex, age, breed and colour, di system go support national plans for organizing livestock resources across di Kingdom regions”.
Dem add say wit di passport, e go improve production, breed efficiency through genetic analysis, monitoring of breed performance and support for selection programs aimed at enhancing local breeds.
Di kingdom dey host beauty contests for dia camels for annual festivals, wia Saudi fans dey spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on animal contestants.
Organizers in recent times bin crack down on cosmetic enhancements for di camels, one malpractice wey don thrive for di middle of stiff competition and despite heavy penalties.
Camels dey essential to life on di Arabian Peninsula for millennia, one research wey dey published in 2021 suggest say life-sized carvings of camels and horses wey dem carve into rock for Saudi Arabia fit be around 7,000 years old.