- Title: Meet Victoria the camel and her American owner in Saudi
- Date: 23rd December 2020
- Summary: SOUTHERN SAYAHID, SAUDI ARABIA (DECEMBER 22, 2020) (REUTERS) CAR DRIVING IN DESERT MAN DRIVING CAR (SOUNDBITE) (English) AMERICAN PARTICIPANT IN KING ABDULAZIZ FESTIVAL FOR CAMELS, HASSAN JOSEPH, SAYING: "My name is Hassan, and I am from the United States of America. I have a profound interest in camels and the Bedouin lifestyle, and I know it's a strange hobby, even an experience for someone outside of Saudi Arabia like myself, but I encourage the world to learn about camels and the Bedouin lifestyle because there is a lot that you can learn." VARIOUS OF HASSAN'S CAR ARRIVING TO WHERE HE KEEPS CAMELS VARIOUS OF HASSAN FEEDING CAMEL VARIOUS OF HASSAN AND SAUDI MAN WALKING CAMELS HASSAN WALKING WITH CAMEL (SOUNDBITE) (English) AMERICAN PARTICIPANT IN KING ABDULAZIZ FESTIVAL FOR CAMELS, HASSAN JOSEPH, SAYING: "So, when I moved to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and I met Faisal, he introduced me to the Bedouin lifestyle, which entails camels, so he taught me about camels and you know how to breed them how to take care of them how they live, and I love learning new things as I love trying out new things." CAMELS HOOVES WHILE WALKING MAN WALKING CAMEL HASSAN WALKING CAMEL CAMEL'S HOOVES WHILE WALKING HASSAN TALKING ABOUT CAMEL WHILE MAN LISTENS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) CAMELS OWNER, FAISAL AL QAHTANI, SAYING: "As much as Hassan loves camels and passionate about them, I didn't think that one day he will tell me he will participate in King Abdulaziz festival. Even though I was trying to convince him to do so, he came to me one day, surprising me by saying that he wants to participate, and I told him, you are welcome to join. Then we bought for him Victoria because he said that his limit this year was 500,000 Saudi Riyal ($133,250) as a starter, and next year he will enter with more and compete." VICTORIA WALKING WITH AMERICAN FLAG ON HER BACK CAR STOPPING BY HASSAN AND FAISAL MAN TALKING WITH HASSAN FAISAL TRANSLATING FOR HASSAN (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) FESTIVAL VISITOR, SAUD ALDAWSARI, SAYING: "We are delighted. I swear I feel happy when a foreigner participates, it will raise its value and make it popular in other countries (camels). It's a blessing from God. Camels are a pride for its breeders." VARIOUS OF HASSAN AND FAISAL WALKING INTO TENT FLAGS OF AMERICA AND SAUDI ARABIA ON WALL MAN POURING ARABIC COFFEE INTO CUP FAISAL HANDING COFFEE TO HASSAN (SOUNDBITE) (English) AMERICAN PARTICIPANT IN KING ABDULAZIZ FESTIVAL FOR CAMELS, HASSAN JOSEPH, SAYING: "I was surprised by the outcome. I thought Victoria is really going to win, but you know, when the list came out, I was like, oh man, okay, there is hope, I'll be back next year, I'll be back next year." FAISAL AN HASSAN SITTING IN TENT
- Embargoed: 6th January 2021 11:16
- Keywords: Beauty Contest Bedouin Camels Culture Festival Saudi Victoria the Camel
- Location: SOUTHERN SAYAHID, SAUDI ARABIC
- City: SOUTHERN SAYAHID, SAUDI ARABIC
- Country: Saudi Arabia
- Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Middle East
- Reuters ID: LVA002DA89MXH
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Hassan Joseph left his hometown in Columbia, Missouri and came to Saudi Arabia some five years ago, where a camel named Victoria has now become his best friend.
The 32-year-old teacher, who works at a Saudi vocational school, was fascinated by camels, especially when his Saudi friend, Faisal al Qahtani, introduced him to the Bedouin lifestyle.
This year, Joseph decided to participate in the King Abdulaziz Festival for Camels, and paid 500,000 Saudi Riyals ($133,250) to buy Victoria in the hopes of dazzling visitors at the festival's beauty contest.
While Victoria, which Joseph named to bring him victory, did not win this year, the camel lover says he is adamant she'll win the next.
The fifth edition of King Abdulaziz Camels Festival kicked off on December 1 and lasts for a month.
(Production: Nael Shyoukhi, Mohammed Benmansour) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None