The World's Largest Camel Hospital Is The Size Of Buckingham Palace: Capable Of Treating 144 Camels, There Is An ICU To An Operating Room

Al Salam Animal Hospital, Saudi Arabia. (Source: Twitter/@EmarahAlQassim)

JAKARTA - June 22 is known as World Camel Day, an animal that we commonly hear the name of. However, did you know that in this world there is a wide camel hospital and is supported by various advanced facilities.

Last July 2020, Saudi Arabia inaugurated the largest camel hospital in the world. Understandably, it is no longer just a riding animal, tourism and even consumption alone. Saudi Arabia is now the destination of the camel beauty pageant.

Named the Al Salam Animal Hospital, this facility covers an area of up to 70,000 square meters, about the size of Buckingham Palace, only slightly smaller than Alcatraz Island, reports The National News June 22.

The hospital is located in the interior of Qassim between Medina and Riyadh, on the site of one of the world's largest camel markets, and will serve camel owners in Kuwait and northern Saudi Arabia. Its construction cost up to 100 million Saudi Arabian riyals or around Rp. 395,178,695,900.

Al Salam Animal Hospital, Saudi Arabia. (Source: Twitter/@EmarahAlQassim)

The nearest comparable clinic is about 1,000 kilometers away in other Gulf countries. Traveling hundreds of kilometers and crossing borders is part of the racing and pageantry lifestyle, but the coronavirus pandemic is making this impossible, even as local competition continues.

Al Salam Veterinary Hospital can treat 144 camels, has stables for 400 racing camels and will employ up to 300 staff ready to meet every camel need, from surgery to accommodation and blood tests.

Furthermore, launching Gulfbusiness, this place also has research facilities to diagnose diseases related to camels. There is also a hospital dedicated central laboratory with more than 60 equipment and devices, which can perform 160 types of analysis. Next, there are units for young camels, ICU, CT Scan to the operating room.

Camels can be treated for infectious diseases, wounds and chronic diseases in hospitals. However, this place is also a camel breeding location. The hospital has performed more than 500 embryo transfers, resulting in 350 successful pregnancies.

Al Salam Animal Hospital, Saudi Arabia. (Source: Twitter/@EmarahAlQassim)

Not only that, vets plan to transfer 2,500 embryos next season, an ambitious number by camel breeding standards. Embryo transfer has spawned some of the biggest names in the camel racing world.

It is known that camel pregnancies last for two years, which previously meant female racers could produce several offspring only after retiring from the racetrack.

Advances in camel surrogacy mean that the prized female racer can now pass the winning gene to dozens of calves in one year. This has changed the world of racing and made some she-camels as famous as the males.

In addition, scientific progress continues to be made in the camel breeding and rearing program. The adaptation of camels to deserts has led to a unique set of challenges in artificial insemination.

These animals are so good at conserving water that they only produce 3ml to 8ml of gel-like semen, a bit compared to the same size animal as a horse.