British Celebrities Join Outcry Against Morocco’s Dog Culling Ahead of 2030 World Cup Bid

The FIFA bid evaluation report stated that Morocco had "highlighted its commitment to animal rights protection" and had decreed since August that "the slaughter of animals is prohibited in the country." But the new images, shot in the coastal city of Kenitra, show animals waiting in dark, damp spaces dying of starvation and canine cannibalism, proving the contrary. "Absolute evil is happening in Morocco," says Les Ward, president of the International Animal Welfare Protection Coalition (IAWPC), in a statement to The Sun, adding that cruel dog hunters are being sent into the streets to round up stray animals and kill them. According to him, the Moroccan government doesn’t even have the slightest idea of what animal rights mean.

"They create ’clinics’ and ’shelters’ which are extermination centers to eradicate dogs, not to help them. In these shelters, the dogs are thrown among frightened animals. They don’t feed them, they don’t give them water. If they feed them, it’s with poisoned baits that kill them. Cannibalism is underway. These dogs are starving and starting to devour each other. Others are killed, shot, poisoned, then thrown in the trash," he denounces. While the culling of stray dogs has been declared illegal since 2019, the Moroccan authorities would have massacred 300,000 stray dogs. A measure aimed at ending rabies, which kills about 80 people a year.

The activists reject this approach. According to them, the trap, neuter and release (TNR) program, currently implemented by volunteers, is the only successful path. This program has already allowed Goa, in India, to become a rabies-free state. "Morocco’s approach will only exacerbate the problem, as rabies-infected dogs will continue to reproduce and others will settle in the region. Killing is not the solution, it’s a horror," explains Les. He adds: "Any veterinarian will tell you that killing a dog with strychnine is a cruel and long process. They lure the dogs nearby by asking unsuspecting people to reveal their name."

Faced with this gloomy picture, IAWPC has sent correspondence to FIFA asking it to demand that Morocco cease the many mass culling campaigns of stray dogs. "If you don’t act, FIFA will be known for its complicity in a horrible act of barbarism - under your watch," the association warns. "There is simply no excuse for the terrible campaign of cruelty carried out in the name of football." IAWPC says it has sent letters to FIFA every week, provided photographic and video evidence as well as written testimonies, but has received "no response, nothing at all."

Celebrities like Downton Abbey star Peter Egan, music legend Gary Numan, environmentalist Chris Packham and world-renowned environmentalist Dr. Jane Goodall support the association’s approach. "Football is considered the ’beautiful game’ and celebrating it in such deplorable circumstances is a betrayal of all ethics. FIFA must act now," commented British actor Peter Egan. He cries out in indignation: "I am absolutely appalled by the situation and football fans will be too. Most people who love this beautiful game cannot condone such cruelty by knowing about it, ignoring it and supporting the World Cup. It is almost impossible to understand why a country would choose to brutally slaughter millions of animals just to ’clean its streets’ for a football match. It is inconceivable."