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Rabat – The Moroccan government is stepping up efforts to diversify measures to tackle the issue of stray animals, particularly dogs.
The government council announced today that they approved a draft law that concerns not only protecting these animals but also preventing dangers they may pose, particularly amid circulating videos warning against stray dogs’ attacks on citizens, particularly children.
Minister of Agriculture Ahmed Bouari presented the draft law, and government spokesperson Mustapha Baitas announced the news in a press briefing following a council meeting in Rabat.
He explained that the draft law comes in response to the “increasingly prominent challenge posed by stray animals, which now requires urgent state intervention due to their direct threat to public health and safety.”
Baitas acknowledged an uncontrolled proliferation of stray animals in public spaces, suggesting that unvaccinated animals could potentially pose a concerning risk for transmitting certain dangerous infectious diseases.
The spokesperson said that some of them also cause traffic accidents when they are not controlled around roads and motorways, and have been responsible for numerous attacks on people.
“This draft law also aims to protect these animals from diseases and risks that may threaten them, by ensuring they are cared for under appropriate conditions.”
Morocco has been the victim of a fierce international campaign, led by activists who deem the country’s approach to tackling the situation as inhumane and accuse it of allegedly culling stray dogs.
In response, Morocco has constantly denied the accusations and allegations that the country is planning to kill stray dogs ahead of the 2030 FIFA Club World Cup.
Mohamed Roudani, Head of the Department of Health Preservation and Green Spaces at the General Directorate of Territorial Communities, said that such claims are completely unfounded.
“There is no campaign to eradicate stray dogs,” Roudani said, noting that the claims have no basis.
In May, Minister Abdelouafi Laftit announced an ambitious national program with a budget of $100 million to address the proliferation of stray dogs in Morocco.
The program aims to control the reproduction of stray animals and stabilize their population while respecting animal welfare principles and ensuring their sterilization and vaccination.
Morocco’s recent draft law comes particularly after international reports said in June that a British woman died of rabies in the UK four months after being “very slightly” scratched by a puppy during a visit to Morocco.
The woman visited Morocco in February but only developed symptoms in June. She could not walk, talk or sleep, or swallow.
