Robot Jockeys Only Solve Half the Problem

Camel racing is a longtime enemy of the human rights movement, and with good reason. Very young boys are enslaved, abused, starved to keep their weight down, and strapped to camels for terrifying races several miles long, where injury and death from falling off their mount is common. After child jockeys were banned in 2005, many of them were replaced by robots and the sport was declared humane.

As Amanda Kloer wrote over on the End Human Trafficking blog, kids are still being used despite the ban. But if all of the child jockeys were replaced with robots, it would only solve half the problem because there are still living creatures being exploited.

In an area of the world not exactly known for stellar animal welfare standards or strict regulations on these types of activities, there's not much information on how the camels are treated. Compared to the treatment of these children, which has deservedly been the focus of much advocacy, the camels are often described as living the life of royalty, with top nutrition and air-conditioned quarters. Despite the poverty throughout much of the Arab world, millions of dollars can be spent on a single camel.

Many animal advocates have no trouble accepting camel races as cruel because the animals are being used for human entertainment. But in case anyone is thinking that it's all in good fun, let's look at what we do know about the races.

Camel races are endurance competitions, with as many as 70 camels running a track spanning several miles. Like horse racing, camels have been selectively bred for speed. No more large humps or wide, splayed hooves. These animals are lean, mean running machines, making racing camels more delicate than their native counterparts. As we've seen with horses, speed is typically traded for soundness. I have no doubt that camels are frequently injured in these races.

The robots that are giving kids a chance at a decent life will only make things worse for the camels. The remote controlled robo-jockeys can whip their crops at high speeds as often as their owners or trainers send the signal. This whipping will push the camels to run faster, at panic speeds, beyond the point of endurance. When a camel can no longer race, he can be used for breeding, but otherwise he's not worth much anymore.

Some people have looked at the robots being used in the Middle East as a model for Western horse racing. While horse jockeys get to choose their career — unlike camel jockeys — it's still a brutal existence of extreme dieting measures, psychological trauma, and high risk of injury. But, again, robo-jockeys wouldn't do anything to help the non-human animals in this "sport."

This robot idea might not be so bad if every animal being used and abused for entertainment was replaced by machines. Imagine not only robot races, but robot shows instead of circuses, robot battles replacing dog fights and rodeos. The technology is out there for alternative amusement, we just need our morals to catch up.

Photo credit: lindie naughton