Rabat – Several members of Morocco’s Parliament have called on the government to take measures to combat Morocco’s stray dog problem.
Citizens have expressed fear for their safety all over the country as a result of the spread of rabid stray dogs, with the safety of children playing outside being cited as a priority.
“The issue is a huge source of anxiety in roads and alleyways, particularly in more traditional neighborhoods,” Member of Parliament Mohamed Raggani said. “It brings a lot of fear into citizens, regardless of their status or age, especially children going to school early in the morning.”
Idriss Chraibi, a member of the National Rally of Independents (RNI), Morocco’s ruling party, recalled the recent death of a young child in Casablanca, after succumbing to wounds sustained from an encounter with a rabid dog.
Naziha Miqdad, of the Party of Progress and Socialism, brought up a similar incident which saw a two-year old toddler pass away due to similar injuries.
Abdelouafi Laftit, the Minister of Interior, said his ministry has allocated up to MAD 70 million ($7 million) over the last few years to several local municipalities to obtain equipment to tackle the problem.
He also said free vaccinations against diseases like Rabies have been administered to over 800,000 people annually.
Read also: Let’s Get Real About Morocco’s Stray Dog Problem
As the state looks into options to mitigate the issue, activists continue to fight for a better treatment of Morocco’s stray animals, calling for the use of vaccines and sterilization, and the avoidance of extreme inhumane methods like culling.
Back in 2020, Morocco’s government started a national sterilization program to get the situation under control and stop local authorities from using bullets or poison.
Although the Ministry of Interior said in 2019 it would stop killing the stray dogs, reports have revealed that local authorities still resort to cruel methods when dealing with their districts’ stray dogs problem.
