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Camel Market Photogallery
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Camels
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Burkash Market
Burkash Market is the largest camel market in the country. It is a popular tourist attraction, but is one of the most heart wrenching places to visit: the screaming camels and the harsh beatings are very hard to bare.
There are over 3000 camels coming in to Cairo from the Sudan: the trek takes up to 40 days, after which the camels are transported to Burkash via truck.
Camels are sold for slaughter, farm work, tourism and transport. Though racing camels is not popular in Egypt, it's interesting to note that the most expensive camels are those sold for racing purposes (sometimes up to US$ 2000 per camel).
Camel meat is popular in Egypt: it's not as high in fat as beef or mutton, but does contain a lot of protein. Camels are ideal for transport, especially in the desert, where their famous ability to endure without food and water is key.
Not all camels are sold, and some are left behind – their corpses can be seen lining the desert road as one approaches the market.
Abuse
Camels that are to be sold for slaughter are fattened before sale.
All camels are beat with wooden sticks. The camels are ill-cared for – they have no fur, their skin is scarred from repeated beating.
And all camels also have one leg tied up, to prevent them from escaping.
The men who handle these camels are mostly farmers and butchers, peddling these poor creatures for a lot of money.
One horrific story that sent S.P.A.R.E. reeling to investigate was a man whose female camel couldn’t get up – she was simply worn out from all the beating. What happened next was horrific: he inserted his wooden stick in her rectum, to painfully goad her into standing up.
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