Rabat – Agadir-based NGO Morocco Animal Aid (MAA) was forced to relocate after two lethal poison attacks on dogs at the shelter.
One attack killed 12 dogs after they consumed poisoned chicken thrown into the shelter’s yard. Three of them died during the following months and their death is reportedly linked to the incident.
According to Lucy Austin, the founder of MAA, a neighbor threw poisoned offal and intestines over the fence, less than half an hour after the NGO workers took the dogs out.
“We found intestines and offal hanging in the trees from the back fence to one of our neighbors’ house,” she explained.
The workers at the shelter tried to revive the dogs by pumping their stomachs after seeing some dogs salivating and shaking. They had to do it themselves since the vet was unavailable during Ramadan, Austin explained.
“We were trying to evacuate the stomachs of the dogs ourselves with charcoal and olive oil, which is a natural remedy,” she said. “Some of the dogs vomited and we found blue intestines and offal that was so soaked in poison that it was burning our eyes.”
A similar attack took place in the shelter. This time, the dogs were taken to the vet where they received an antidote.
Read Also: Viral Video of Animal Abuse Sparks Outrage Among Moroccans
The two attacks pushed MAA to relocate its headquarters to a rural area in the Agadir region to avoid such interactions with neighbors.
MAA further reported the incidents to the police but “nothing happened… officers came to the shelter and took my statement and that was it, we never heard anything from them again,” Austin said.
Faced with a growing number of daily rescues, MAA is working on vaccinating and sterilizing the animals before either putting them back on the streets or sending them to Swindon-based SN Dogs for adoption. Yet the health state of some of the rescued animals requires care and rehabilitation.
As MAA and other animal rights organizations work in assisting their rescues, the increase in the stray dogs’ population in Morocco is raising public concerns.
Earlier this month, members of the Moroccan parliament urged the government to take measures to address the stray dogs problem. The representatives argued that the citizens are afraid of the impact of rabid stray dogs on their safety and health.
In response, animal rights activists have called for good treatment, vaccination, and sterilization of stray animals in Morocco.
Read Also: 7 Things Animal Lovers Want You to Know About Moroccan Stray Dogs
