A major press conference held in Rabat on 15 January has issued a stark warning to Moroccan authorities: the continued killing of dogs and cats is not only cruel, but a profound failure of governance, with serious consequences for public health, environmental stability and human rights.
Organised by the Social Organization for the Protection of Animals and supported by international partners including the International Animal Welfare Protection Coalition (IAWPC), the event drew national journalists, civil society leaders, academics, healthcare professionals and human rights advocates. The message was unequivocal: Morocco’s reliance on violent eradication methods is scientifically discredited, socially harmful, and legally indefensible.
Opening the event, the organisation’s president and legal advisor, political science researcher Meryem Sabahi, delivered a sweeping, uncompromising diagnosis of the crisis.
“This is not a marginal debate, nor a discussion about street nuisance. It is, at the same time, a political, legal, health, and educational issue. Animals have not ‘taken over’ the streets; they have been pushed there by structural failures in urban planning, the absence of preventive public policies, the failure of environmental health management, and the accumulation of years of easy but violent solutions.
“The real problem is not the presence of animals, but the absence of a clear state vision and coherent governance by public and local authorities,” she said.
Sabahi further warned that the killing of dogs and cats actively undermines the very public safety arguments used to justify it:
“When we speak about animal protection, we are in fact addressing core issues of public health, citizen safety, environmental balance, and community security. Scientific studies and comparative international experiences have demonstrated beyond any doubt that the violent eradication of dogs and cats leads to the proliferation of rodents, the spread of diseases more dangerous than those it claims to prevent, increased public health costs, and a complete failure to resolve the phenomenon.
“Despite this evidence, some local authorities continue to rely on killing in public spaces, near water sources, in residential neighbourhoods, and in front of vulnerable populations.”
A representative from Morocco’s Ministry of Health acknowledged that the country officially recognises the CNVR approach (catch, neuter, vaccinate and release) as the humane and scientifically proven method of managing free-roaming animal populations. However, he admitted that serious barriers remain – including weak interdepartmental coordination, lack of resources, and the continued use of outdated, harmful methods by certain local authorities.
Other speakers underlined the wider social and ecological damage. Researcher and technology author Omar Zaidi warned that mass killings create an “ecological vacuum” that fuels the rise of rodent populations and increases disease risk. Child rights specialist Dr Mohamed Allali condemned the exposure of children to public animal killings as a form of psychological violence, linking it to trauma, emotional desensitisation, and a heightened risk of violent behaviour later in life.
In a detailed legal presentation, Sabahi also flagged major shortcomings in Draft Law 19.25, the binding nature of Morocco’s 2019 international commitments, and a landmark judicial ruling that established state accountability in a case against the Ministry of the Interior. She confirmed that proposed amendments have now been submitted to Parliament’s Legislation and Laws Committee, alongside formal correspondence to the Royal Cabinet.
Notably absent from the event were representatives of the Ministry of the Interior and the National Office for Food Safety, despite having received confirmed invitations. Organisers highlighted their absence as significant.
Les Ward MBE, chairman of the IAWPC – which helped facilitate the conference – called it a pivotal moment of reckoning for Morocco:
“What we heard in Rabat was a clear, evidence-based indictment of mass dog and cat killings. This is not activism versus authority – it is science, law and public health versus outdated violence.
“Morocco has the tools, the knowledge, and international support to implement humane solutions. What is now required is political will and accountability to end practices that harm animals, traumatise communities and ultimately endanger human lives.”
The conference concluded with a set of formal recommendations to be submitted to the relevant authorities, along with a commitment to sustained institutional follow-up.
Find out more: https://iawpc.org/blog/