Société Protectrice
des Animaux du Maroc
The Humane Society
of Morocco

Société Protectrice
des Animaux du Maroc

The Humane Society
of Morocco

Stray Dogs

Stray Dogs in Morocco

Гуманное общество Марокко believes that animals must have the same rights as humans.

The HSM/SPA du Maroc advocated for a long time for TNVR, or Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Release, as the only way to reduce the stray dog population in Morocco and protect public health.

We strongly believe the One-health approach as the best possible way to control rabies and that dog culls are not the answer but specifically-tailored management programs are the solution.

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The situation

There are about 500 million dogs in the world. It’s been estimated that approximately 75 %, or about 375 million, of these, are free-roaming dogs, also called stray dogs, which are more common in developing countries than in developed countries. Morocco suffers the effects of stray animal overpopulation. The kingdom exterminates +300.000 dogs per year which sadly means that since the Independence of Morocco in 1956, more than 20 million dogs have unnecessarily been killed… and it is generally accepted that Morocco has 3 million stray dogs, despite no national large-scale scientific study done.

Most of them live in terrible conditions, scavenging food leftovers from the garbage and suffering from human abuse, injuries, car accidents, and illnesses, including mange, and, more rarely, rabies (19 deaths by rabies registered in 2015).

Stray dogs are prosecuted by people and the Moroccan authorities who consider them to be public nuisances, and a threat to public health, unlike cats which are more accepted, although they also transmit rabies, even though rabies is fully vaccine-preventable.

Throughout the kingdom, the authorities, when they are not killing stray dogs by shooting them with guns or during brutal capture operations, round them up and lock them up in dilapidated pounds (20 dogs in cages less than 1 meter square), without food or even water. The starved dogs attack and devour each other to survive. The survivors are then poisoned and cremated alive.

As we write this article, thousands of dogs are still being killed with live ammunition or poisoned bait, despite false information appearing in Moroccan media and social networks since November 2019 claiming that Morocco would no longer kill stray dogs.

Moroccan authorities have unsuccessfully attempted for years to reduce the stray dog population through culling.

Killing off strays is not only inhumane but also an ineffective means of population control. It is impossible to kill every single dog and those that live not only continue to reproduce but their litter life expectancy is higher as they have more resources due to the vacuum created.

The main downside of dog slaughtering is that nature abhors a vacuum, and so eliminated dog populations will be replaced by a bigger dog population.

In one year, a female dog can give birth to as many as three litters of seven puppies each. Her surviving female puppies can begin mating as early as six months into their life. In 6 years, just one female dog and her descendants are capable of breeding 67,000 puppies!

The solution

The Humane Society of Moroccoand other animal welfare charities long advocated for TNVR, as the only way to reduce the stray dog population in Morocco and protect public health. The system involves catching stray dogs, neutering them so they cannot reproduce, vaccinating them against rabies and other diseases, and returning them to their territories. The method prevents the reproduction of strays while also building herd immunity against rabies, protecting local human communities.

The objectives of a program to control the dog population may include the following:

  • improve the health and welfare of the owned and stray dog population
  • reduce the number of stray dogs to an acceptable level
  • promote responsible ownership
  • assist in the creation and maintenance of a rabies-immune or rabies-free dog population
  • reduce the risk of zoonotic diseases other than rabies
  • manage other risks to human health (e.g. parasites)
  • prevent harm to the environment and other animals
  • prevent illegal dog trade and trafficking.

A range of components (listed below) should be carefully considered for a successful dog management program:

  • current Moroccan pounds are real death centers for dogs : they must be brought up to international standards and must only be used for temporary purposes for lost owned-dogs or dogs considered dangerous
  • the construction of public dispensaries to vaccinate, sterilize and treat dogs as well as adoption centers are necessary
  • euthanasia as an act inducing death in a humane manner (to be applied only when no other option is available (serious illness or incurable injury)
  • specifically tailored, multi-faceted, and long-term commitment
  • identify and involve an advisory stakeholder committee (government, NGOs, veterinarians, academics, media, local community)
  • collaboration between animal health, human health, and environmental sectors. This collaboration is known as the One Health concept
  • education to improve knowledge, influence perception and change people’s attitudes toward dogs where conflict exists
  • primary dog healthcare (reproduction, vaccination, and parasite control)
  • dog identification and registration to promote responsible dog ownership
  • legislation – and its enforcement
  • waste management.

We first need to understand the problem, assess it, plan the intervention before implementing any program, and then monitor and evaluate it. Investing in an effective program to reduce the stray dog population in Morocco over time will:

  • end needless animal suffering
  • effectively decrease the transmission of zoonotic diseases to humans such as rabies, hydatidosis/echinococcosis, leishmaniasis, and leptospirosis
  • free-roaming dogs can also be a threat to livestock as well as wildlife in some areas
  • eliminate the need for costly treatments or surgeries (e.g rabies can range from $60 to $80 per person)
  • prevent livestock losses
  • improve the country’s international image
  • above all, it will benefit Moroccans in the long run.

In 2017, His Majesty King Mohammed VI gave His High Instructions to the Government to no longer use old methods of shooting and poisoning to control the dogs and street cats population, but rather a more humane approach.

To this end, in 2019, the Ministry of Interior (represented by the General Directorate of Territorial Communes), and the Health Minister announced an agreement signed with the National Office of Food Health Safety (ONSSA), the National Order of Veterinarians of Morocco, to end the culling of street dogs and instead to implement the TNVR and release the spay/neutered dogs into their environment with an identifying ear tag.

The Ministry of the Interior was supposed to start this national stray sterilization and vaccination campaign in 2019. In November 2021, they released a circular detailing the new measures and sent it to municipal departments, mayors and governors throughout the Kingdom. Unfortunately, this circular is not binding and is not applied to date.

  • A report following a 2-week World Health Organization (WHO) expertise carried out in 2001 in different places in Morocco as well as a study revealed that rabbies human deaths are linked to inadequate prophylaxis and suggested an improvement of the training of physicians in antirabies centers (19 deaths from rabies recorded in 2015).
  • Rabies is present on all continents except Antarctica, but the disease is most commonly transmitted to humans in developing countries throughout Asia and Africa. Rabies can be present in both domestic animals and wildlife. People who contract rabies often die within one or two weeks without immediate treatment. There are around 59,000 cases of rabies in humans globally each year, according to the WHO. Stray dogs are the primary culprit, particularly in rural areas.

Take action

  • Educate yourself and your friends about how the TNVR program is the only solution
  • Urge your Governor Mayor/President of your commune to stop killing dogs & cats
  • Consider volunteering at the Humane Society of Morocco (or any other animal welfare association).

Please consider donating to help us in our work:

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