It is said that high quality sportswear can improve performance in human athletes, I'm then sure it's the reason why a United Arab Emirate's luxury product company Al Shibla believes it should work for animals as well.
Al Shibla recently launched a line of lycra-style outfits for camels, and they claim that this bizarre product has already garnered tremendous interest among stable owners in the Middle East.
However, it is a known fact that compression suits are worn by race horses around the world to improve performance, but the owners of Al Shibla believe camels deserve the very best in comfort when one says clothing. “If it’s fitting the horse, why we don’t do it for the camel?” asked Anne Wolter, co-founder and head of research and development.
Lycra-style outfits, which comes in different colours are made of soft, thick material that covers the body, the suits improve blood circulation; increases blood and oxygen supply to the muscles, reduces the lactic acid build-up that causes cramping; and could be worn before and after training.
In a sales pitch statement of the company, it is designed for use before and after races, and are meant to serve a dual purpose. “The full body suit can help racing camels run faster, while the cream of the species entered into camel beauty contests will have the ability to stand taller after using the suit. The suits can also be used during transportation, when camels tend to lose a lot of weight due to stress hormones working overtime."
Wolter added...“We can compare it with the compression socks we get in the hospital. It activates the blood circulation in the muscle. If there’s a health problem, people usually just call the vet and ask for an injection, but there are physiotherapy treatments, and the compression suit is a physiotherapy treatment. The company has already received requests from representatives of major stables; they are apparently keen to have their owners’ and sponsors’ names printed on the tailor-made jerseys."
“Everyone is so intrigued because for so long the stables have just used blankets after training. Owners stop and say, ‘I’ve been racing camels for decades and I’ve never seen anything like it.’ Some call it the ‘camel kandura’. They are also seeing opportunities and we already have people asking about having branding on the outfits.”
Speaking about the suit, Birgit Kemphues, director of Al Shibla explained, "the animals are much fitter, so you can just see everything has a good blood circulation."
After months of designing the product to perfection, the company finally launched the full body compression suit at the Al Dhafra Camel Festival in December.
“In such a competitive sport, it can give you the edge you need,” exclaimed Sultan Al Ketbi-a Camel breeder, who has already purchased the suits for his camels.
The compression suits comes at quite expensive prices at Dhs 3,500 (which is almost $1,000) a piece, but Wolter echoed they are worth the price. “If you ship a camel from the UAE to Saudi or Qatar, it can lose 15kg to 30kg because of stress,” she explained. “Our research and testing has shown that we can get that down to about 7.5kg to 10kg by wearing our outfits. In addition to that, the outfit is like a thrombosis sock. It squeezes the muscle and ensures circulation.”
“It’s also like wearing a special T-shirt for the gym. You don’t sweat as a result. Until now, the stables used blankets but they’re not suitable for all conditions. Customs are quite traditional in the Middle East and camels and horses race without any additions, but we believe that will change over time,” Wolter added
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