As part of the initiative on raising awareness on the impact of plastic pollution on camels, BEEAH Group highlighted in a new initiative called ‘Race for Life‘. The initiative was launched a days before the Dubai Executive Council introduced charges for single-use plastic bags in shops across the Emirate.
Race for Life aims to generate awareness among the general public about the effects of irresponsible plastic disposal by campers and tourists.
BEEAH Group and representatives from the Dubai Camel Racing Club, explained how fatal plastics getting into the camels’ ecosystem through a concept film. The film serves as a reminder of the important role one can all play in making sure the disposal of wastes, and any other potentially harmful debris lying about.
BEEAH Tandeef raised awareness about one in two camels dying due to plastic consumption in the UAE, by enrolling its own camel in the Dubai Camel Racing Club’s race, which is one of the most prestigious camel races in the world.
‘My race is against what’s inside me’, the strong message through drawings on the camel’s body demonstrated the issues with plastic littering and inspired people to act responsibly.
Lumps of polybezoar, indigestible materials including plastics, litter and salt deposits weighing up to 53kg can lodge in a camel’s stomach or digestive tract, forming a stone-like mass that cannot be broken down, leading to choking and starving, gastrointestinal blockages, sepsis from increased gut bacteria, dehydration and malnutrition. After an agonising, drawn-out death, the plastic, which takes 400 years to decompose, remains long after the bodies have decomposed.
With global plastic pollution projected to double by 2040 having soared to 348 million tonnes in 2017 from two million tonnes in 1950, anyone wanting a single-use plastic bag for their purchases from retailers, pharmacies and restaurants in Dubai, including e-commerce deliveries will have to pay 25fil ($0.07/£0.05) ahead of a complete ban expected within the next two years