I wonder how they will fare when they raise the same in Arabia? Or will they? Of course not!

Rights group wants to can Camel Cup

By Allyson Horn

* Map: Alice Springs 0870

An international animal rights group is calling for an end to one of the Northern Territory's most iconic sporting events.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) says the Alice Springs Camel Cup is a cruel form of entertainment.

PETA spokesman Des Bellamy says watching camels being whipped and raced around a track needs to stop.

"I would like to see people stop attending," he said.

"They can call it the Camel Cup and they can do something else but I don't think they should be racing animals, forcing them at the point of a whip to run round a track.

"They are saying the animals are just there for your entertainment, that they don't have a life of their own, that they don't have feelings, their own desires."

Mr Bellamy says camels could find these events confusing and distressing.

"They belong in the desert, they live in herds," he said.

"We just believe that camels, like any other animals, deserve respect and should not be used for entertainment."

The Alice Springs Camel Cup will be run on July 9.