Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s state oil company, has been ordered to pay 1 million Saudi Riyals, (roughly US$266,000) for causing the death of a prized beauty camel.
The rare black camel fell into a hole in the desert that Aramco had dug and filled with oil, the Saudi Gazette reported on Thursday.
Heartbroken owner, Abdullah Al-Sairi, sued the company last year for failing to put a protective fence around it, and on Wednesday the general court in Khobar found in his favour.
According to the report, Aramco’s lawyer said the firm intends to appeal the verdict in the Court of Cassation.
The three-year-old camel had been entered into the Camel Beauty Contest, a popular gathering for the kingdom’s camel breeders.
Reporting by Elsa Baxter of www.ArabianBusiness.com