Doha| A famous racehorse with an estimated value of more than 12 million American dollars, is to be euthanized on Friday, after it was allegedly caught in sexual intercourse with another stallion.

The 4-year old horse named Al-Hadiye (the Gift) is the property of the Saudi Prince, Alwaleed bin Talal. It earned more than 6 million USD during the last racing season alone, notably triumphing at the Saudi National Championship Show and the Qatar International Arabian Horse Show.

The stallion was allegedly caught on two separate occasions by employees of the Prince’s corral, while it was engaged in sexual intercourse with another male. When this was reported to the authorities, the horse was rapidly taken away and isolated.

“Homosexuality is a disease about which science knows very little,” said the President of the Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, Sheikh Abdulrahman Al Alsanad. “We have to protect the kingdom from this infection by every possible means at our disposition, and this also means protecting our animals. We will make any sacrifice necessary to protect the purity of the holy land.”

Various organizations devoted to the rights of animals or homosexuals have denounced the committee’s decision and the constant persecution of gay animals in the kingdom.

The American organization, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, better known under the abbreviation PETA, claims that the Saudi kingdom has one of the worst records in the world in terms of gay animal rights.

“Every year, Saudi Arabia excutes between 25,000 and 35,000 animals because they are suspected of homosexuality,” explains the PETA spokeswoman, Janet McIntyre. “This includes many animals like dogs, cats, horses and camels, which are either stoned to death or decapitated, almost always in front of crowds. It is both cruel and barbaric, and such practices shouldn’t exist in the 21st century.”

Almost a dozen American and European horse owners have also offered to buy the horse in order to prevent its execution, but so far, the kingdom has refused to negotiate. The execution is destined to take place on Friday, November 20.

In Saudi Arabia, homosexuality is widely seen as an immoral and indecent activity, both for animals and humans. The kingdom’s law punishes acts of homosexuality or cross-dressing with imprisonment, fines, corporal punishment (like whipping or flogging) and even capital punishment.

Combating homosexuality remains one of the major goals of the Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, along with its campaign against the consumption of alcohol and the practice of magic.