Camels dazzle at cattle market

KARACHI:

Around one thousand camels have been brought to the sacrificial animal market established for Eidul Azha on Karachi-Hyderabad Superhighway.

A separate block was also established for the camels to save time and energy of the traders and buyers, said a spokesman of the market. A cattle trader said that the camels were mostly brought to the market from Nawabshah, Nowshera Feroze, Kandkot, Umerkot and Shahdadpur.

Water, electricity, daily sweeping and fodder facilities are available round-the-clock in the camel block, he said. Over 100,000 sacrificial animals including cows, buffaloes, camels, sheep, lamb, and goats of different colors and breeds have reached the cattle market so far.

A cattle trader said that the price of camel ranges between Rs100,000 to Rs700,000. The spokesperson said that all necessary facilities were being extended to facilitate the traders and buyers of the sacrificial animals. He said that sacrificial animals were being brought to the market from across the country in connection with Eid-ul-Azha. "Buyers prefer to look for the most beautiful ones," says Naeem, a trader and owner of camels. "We sought the services of camel barbers like Ali Hassan to give the animals a 'makeover' to appease buyers and onlookers."

Ali Hassan is a farmer by profession. He belongs to a small town of Tharparkar and has learned the art of camel hair designing from his forefathers. Every year, he visits Karachi a few weeks before Eid-ul-Azha in a bid to get a reward for his unusual artistry.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 4^th, 2021.