As Morocco prepares to welcome the world for the FIFA soccer World Cup, a brutal and heartbreaking crisis is unfolding for the nation’s homeless dogs.
In the dead of night, across cities like Casablanca, Rabat, Ifrane and Marrakech, stray dogs are hunted down, shot, poisoned, beaten and left to die in agony. Blood stains the streets by morning – in Ifrane, a 19-year-old student describes walking past pools of blood and “stepping over dead bodies” on her way to school.
Dogs are being murdered to ‘clean up the streets’ for tourists.
Dogs are immobilized with long metal clamps before being dragged to transport vehicles. Credit: IAWPC
These dogs are not dangerous. They are not diseased. Many are loved and cared for by their communities. They are simply homeless – and they are being executed in cold blood to ‘clean up’ the streets before soccer fans arrive.
The Moroccan government, facing international backlash, claims to have stopped the killings last year – but reports on the ground paint a horrific picture; dogs still being murdered on the streets and either dumped with the garbage, or left to die where they fall. Any dog on the street is at risk – even pet dogs have been rounded up and thrown into so-called government ‘clinics,’ never to be seen again. These ‘clinics’ are not open to the public and cannot be accessed, so we can only imagine the horrors inside.
Hunted dogs are thrown onto vehicles where they are transported to incinerators or dumped in mass graves. Credit: SPA du Maroc
FIFA claims it supports animal welfare and is against cruelty. But the organization has known about the killings since 2023 – and has not even issued a statement condemning the cruelty..
This is not just an animal welfare catastrophe – it is a violation of children’s human rights.
The merciless killings are often conducted in public; young children find themselves watching dogs that they love dearly being stabbed with poison sticks, shot and left to bleed out.
This is in direct violation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which clearly states that children “must be protected from all forms of physical and psychological violence and from exposure to violence, such as domestic violence or violence inflicted on animals.”
We must do everything we can to stop this cruel, gruesome massacre of innocent dogs.
Without urgent intervention, the stray dogs of Morocco will continue to be hunted and slaughtered in the streets. Credit: Bochra Abg-atg
Our partners in Morocco try to save as many animals as they can, rushing injured dogs to safety and operating emergency trap-neuter-vaccinate-release (TNVR) clinics – but the authorities are quick to clamp down on local animal welfare organizations that dare to speak out against the murders and our partners are frightened they will be targeted if we name them.
We cannot stop the slaughter alone. To truly make a difference, we need your support.
Your donation today will help us provide:
- Emergency medical care for wounded dogs
- TNVR programs to stop future suffering
- Food and safe shelter for rescued strays
- Direct advocacy to stop the killings and demand real reform
Network for Animals is part of the International Animal Coalition (IAWPC), a collective of 24 respected international animal welfare and protection organisations from around the world. Together, we are calling on FIFA and the Moroccan government to put an end to the killing, protecting countless dogs and preventing the traumatization of children.
NFA campaigner Fiona Sawney feeds neglected street dogs in Morocco (top). The dogs of Morocco are pleading for your help (bottom). Credits: NFA (top) & Party for the Animals (bottom).
But while we push the authorities to do the right thing, dogs are still dying in the streets. We must act right away to save these tragic victims.
Please, donate now and help us save as many dogs as possible – before it’s too late.
