Tourists in desert state to soon enjoy camel polo

Tourists visiting the desert state of Rajasthan can soon enjoy Camel Polo with the state government contemplating to introduce the entertaining activity in sand dunes.
Camel has been accorded the status of State Animal recently and now the government wants to further promote camel as one of the most important features of tourism in the state which is more popular as a destination of forts and palaces.
"One of the activities we are considering to introduce or implement in the state is 'Camel Polo' and we are examining its feasibility and other aspects. This will not only promote the animal but also attract more tourists," Rajasthan Agriculture Minister Prabhu Lal Saini told PTI here.

Popularly known as the 'Ship of Desert', camel is already used in tourism promotion in the state and camel shows, camel races, camel riding are some of the activities which are held during various fairs like Desert Festival, Camel Festival and Pushkar fair.
"The state government has invited experts from Gulf countries who will give presentations on the activities related with the animal conservation and production of its milk. The department in a meeting here will also see a presentation about the first camel clone created in Dubai," he said.
"We want to increase the declining number of camels in the state. At present, there are nearly 3.22 lakh camels in the state. The number was 4.21 lakh in the year 2007," the minister informed.

The Vasundhara Raje government recently declared camel as the state animal of Rajasthan recently. It is second animal to have the honour after Chinkara in Rajasthan.
Colourfully decorated Camels are seen participating in activities like race and procession in grand fairs, particularly in Desert fair in Jaisalmer and Camel festival in Bikaner and camel safari in one of the main activities for tourists in Western districts.