DAMMAM — Local authorities in the Eastern Province have raided a barn housing a number of diseased camels in response to a video posted on YouTube. The clip showed a number of the animals and was published by a citizen who wanted to raise awareness on potentially infected meat entering supermarkets, Al-Riyadh reported. The Eastern Province Municipality saw the video and identified the location of the barn featured in the recording before dispatching a team of health inspectors, veterinarians and representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture on Thursday to deal with the situation. A source from the municipality said the local authority checked the authenticity of the video and the location of the barn before sending a team. The source said: “The video showed a number of infected camels in a barn. “The citizen who took the video was saying these camels would be butchered and sold to stores. “He was warning the general public of the bad quality of the meat and calling for pertinent authorities to intervene and protect the general public.” The veterinarians said there were 10 diseased camels in the barn but their conditions were not serious and could be treated. “The diseases the camels had were endometritis (infection of the uterus) and a skin disease called parasitic melanoderma. “The camels are currently isolated and being treated until healed.” The municipality reported that nearby butcher shops told officials they did not sell meat from the camels. The Ministry of Agriculture agreed with the owner of the barn to treat the camels until they are healed before their meat is sold on the market.
