An abattoir survey of a total of 6358 animals slaughtered at Bureidah abattoir, Saudi Arabia, throughout the year of 1997, revealed that 6.0 percent of 2742 camel, 14.90 per cent of 3045 sheep, 29.48 percent of 312 goats and 3.08 percent of 259 cattle were found to be infected with metacestodes. The overall rate of infection with the parasite was 11.32 percent, being 13.51 percent for the imported breeds and 9.65 percent for the indigenous one. The calcified cysts were the most predominant metacestodes (8.57%) among the slaughtered ruminants. The majority of the cysts Were found in liver. Both hydatid cysts and Cysticercus tenuicollis were recorded with nearly equal incidence (1.27% & 1.25%, respectively). The other metacestodes; Cysticercus bovis and C. ovis were observed with comparatively lower Infection rate (0.13 & 0.29%, respectively). Detailed prevalence of the metacestodes for every Positive animals was recorded in the study.