Doha – Contrary to what Western media have been reporting in recent months about Morocco’s intention to eliminate stray dogs, the Ministry of Interior has revealed something completely different.
Minister Abdelouafi Laftit announced an ambitious national program with a budget exceeding MAD 1 billion ($100 million) to address the proliferation of stray dogs in Morocco.
In a written response to a question from parliamentarian Fadoua Lhayani of the Popular Movement group about “the phenomenon of stray dog proliferation in Taza city,” Laftit pointed out that stray dogs constitute a major source of transmission for serious diseases such as rabies.
While noting that tackling this phenomenon falls under the responsibilities of municipal councils, he confirmed that the ministry provides annual financial and logistical support to local authorities facing a lack of sanitary infrastructure.
Since 2019, the Ministry of Interior has signed a partnership agreement with the Ministry of Health, the National Office for Food Safety (ONSSA), and the National Order of Veterinarians to adopt an innovative approach based on sterilizing and vaccinating stray dogs against rabies.
This strategy aims to control the reproduction of these animals and stabilize their population while respecting animal welfare principles.
Animal protection associations are also involved in raising awareness and monitoring sterilized dogs that are returned to their natural habitat.
Read also: Morocco Builds Major Shelter in Agadir to Tackle Stray Animal Crisis
The ministerial strategy also includes creating and equipping collective or provincial shelters for stray dogs and cats. By the end of November 2024, nearly MAD 80 million ($8 million) had already been mobilized to support this system in several provinces.
An ambitious program to create 130 communal hygiene offices has meanwhile been launched to benefit 1,244 municipalities in 53 provinces, at a total cost exceeding MAD 1 billion ($100 million).
These offices will be staffed with 260 doctors, 260 nurses, and 260 health technicians, as well as 130 veterinarians who will supervise field interventions and manage animal shelters.
On the legislative front, a draft decree implementing Law 56.12, related to the prevention of dangers associated with dogs, is currently being developed. This text will include new regulatory measures while ensuring respect for animal welfare principles.
In March 2024, the ministry also activated a convention with the Hassan II Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine to develop oral vaccination methods via food baits.
Additionally, within the framework of an agreement signed in 2018 with the Ministry of Health, MAD 40 million ($4 million) are transferred annually to the Pasteur Institute of Morocco to ensure sufficient supply of rabies vaccines and serums, particularly in rural areas.
‘Unfounded claims’
The government’s approach shatters the tired, relentless smear campaigns propagated across social media and amplified by segments of the Western press, which habitually frame themselves as champions of universal rights.
Far from post-colonial defensiveness, this pattern has been evident before—as seen during Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 World Cup.
Whenever an Arab (Eastern) country takes the lead in organizing a major international gathering, a predictable wave of propaganda emerges aimed at tarnishing its image under the guise of human rights concerns and manufactured controversies.
Mohamed Roudani, Head of the Department of Health Preservation and Green Spaces at the General Directorate of Territorial Communities, refuted reports as “completely unfounded.”
Speaking to the press last February, he stated categorically: “There is no campaign to eradicate stray dogs. The claims that Morocco is planning to eliminate three million stray dogs before the World Cup have no basis.”
His statement responds to a growing outcry from animal rights groups and activists alleging that Morocco is carrying out mass culls of stray dogs ahead of major tournaments, particularly the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the 2030 World Cup, which Morocco is co-hosting.
Read also: Morocco, Spain, and Portugal Cleared for World Cup 2030, Defying Human Rights Concerns
The controversy drew global headlines when renowned primatologist Jane Goodall wrote to FIFA in January, condemning what she described as a planned massacre of three million stray dogs. In her open letter, Goodall “strongly urged” FIFA to ensure “the massacres cease” by pressuring Morocco, including potentially suspending the tournament organization.
Moroccan influencers launched a social media campaign last month under the hashtag #لا_لقتل_الكلاب (No to dogs’ killing), urging citizens to join the initiative and pressure the government to adopt more humane solutions.
According to the Moroccan Society for the Protection of Animals and Nature (SPANA), there are currently over 2 million stray dogs in Morocco, with only 14 animal shelters available to care for them.
The government maintains that Moroccan local authorities are committed to “humane and sustainable” solutions in dealing with stray dogs, working in line with international animal welfare standards.
They have implemented various measures to ethically control the stray dog population, including building and equipping animal clinics and adopting the TNR (Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate, and Release) method.
