According to the Washington Post, camel wrestling is held during winter months in Turkey, among the Yoruk tribes. Camels who are normally used for transportation participate in wrestling competitions, where two camels nudge each other until one falls or runs away.

Tribes in western Turkey hold matches in stadiums as part of winter festivals. Camel owners feed and prepare the animals for the matches by trucking them to events and dressing them in colorful clothing traditional to Yoruk tribes.

People clamber to watch and see the camels fight during the festivals while vendors sell camel meat alongside the venues. Animal rights activists protest that camels are injured, sometimes seriously during the matches. Camel owners say that wrestling is instinctual for the animals and part of the tribe’s heritage.

Watch the video of camel wrestling:

In some parts of Turkey, over 140 camels have been forced to participate in camel wrestling festivals.

Friends of Animals Association (HAYDOST) head Türkan Dağdelen said of camel wrestling, “We are against not only camel wrestling but also all kinds of animal fights. This is inhumane.”

Sign this petition to end camel wrestling as a sport.

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