From HUGH DUDLEY
I attended a medical conference in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, just
before Christmas at which one of the communications was on 42 spiral fractures
of the tibia in children who are used as riders for camel racing in the
country (‘Winning streak for sheiks’, 19/26 December). The injury appears
to be the result of torsional stresses on immature bones as an outcome of
the Velcro attachments to the saddles. There are also reports of a number
of head and other injuries to these very young jockeys. It is relevant to
note that your photographs show that they do not have significant head protection.
There also seems to be some doubt about age limits. I was told the minimum
was ten but your article quotes eight and it was suggested informally at
the conference that the children could be even younger. They are not the
offspring of Emirate nationals.
Your readers should be reminded that, as the BBC programme Camel Kids
also pointed out, these children are being grossly exploited in the interests
of a ‘sport of kings’, and though the scientific results are of great promise
in the future understanding and use of camels in developing countries, they
are only the consequence of the unregulated pursuit of an enthusiasm which
could be subject to some ethical scrutiny.
Hugh Dudley Strathdon, Aberdeenshire
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