Animal Rights Activists Condemn Turkey's Annual Camel Wrestling Festival

Animal rights activists are raising concern about the annual camel wrestling festival in western Turkey, arguing that the camels are abused and hurt in the process. The festival has thousands of visitors each year. Held during the camels' mating season, the festival capitalizes on the increased aggression of male camels, which are kept from mating and thus more likely to fight.

In a sandy arena, muzzled camels are brought together to wrestle, supervised by referees and other personnel to minimize injuries. Despite the muzzles, animal rights activists assert that the camels still suffer, get wounded, and sometimes even die. People enjoy this and may even profit financially from it

Victory is determined through a complex scoring system, unfamiliar to many spectators, where a camel wins by making its opponent scream, flee, fall, or dislodge its embroidered saddle.

Festival-goers spend a day of music, traditional dances, and barbecues featuring camel sausage and meat, along with "lion’s milk," Turkey’s anise-flavored spirit, raki.

Gulgun Hamamcioglu, Izmir representative for the Animal Rights Federation (Haytap), condemned the event: "Goading animals to fight is a big crime. These animals suffer, get wounded, and sometimes even die. People enjoy this and may even profit financially from it."

"Please, let's all work together to end this shameful spectacle," Hamamcioglu pleaded.

As awareness of animal rights grows, some organizations are advocating for alternatives to traditional camel wrestling. These alternatives include mock wrestling, where camels interact playfully without harm, or focusing on other cultural aspects of the festival, such as parades and cultural displays.