(CN) - Representatives of Aramco, the world's largest oil corporation, will appear in a Saudi Arabian court next week to answer charges it was responsible for the death of a female camel in the Arab world's annual Camel Beauty Contest.
The Saudi Gazette reported that the 3-year-old black camel died when she tripped in a hole that Aramco had dug and filled with crude oil on desert pastureland.
Abdullah Al-Saiari, owner of the camel, seeks $1 million Saudi Riyals in compensation - about $260,650 U.S.
Al-Saiari said the camel was well-bred and had been entered in the annual Camel Beauty Contest in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The yearly event draws scores of participants from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and other nations in the Arabian Peninsula.
In anticipation of next week's hearing, the Saudi court reached out to contest administrators, seeking an estimated value on the dead camel, on which it could base a verdict. After deliberating with a panel of expert camel appreciators, the administration suggested $1 million Saudi Riyals would be just compensation for the late contestant.
Aramco is the state-owned national oil company of Saudi Arabia. It oversees the world's largest proven crude oil reserves and production.
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