Casablanca Residents Fear Rising Stray Dog Population, Cite Safety Concerns

The proliferation of stray dogs is a concern for the people of Casablanca. According to some residents of the city, these animals disturb the peace of citizens at night with their incessant barking. In the popular neighborhoods, they panic at the idea of being attacked by stray dogs when they go out of their homes to go to the mosque for the dawn prayer. Faced with the danger, animal and environmental protection associations have repeatedly asked the municipal council to intensify efforts to gather stray dogs in the streets, vaccinate them against rabies and sterilize them. They expect the local authorities to collaborate with the health services and associations working in this field to protect the health of citizens and stop the reproduction of these dangerous dogs.

The associations’ calls seem to have been heard. The Casablanca municipal council should renew the agreement between the municipality and the local development company Casablanca Environnement, in order to fight against nuisances, disease vectors and stray animals, mainly dogs. The budget dedicated to this fight should increase from 20 million dirhams to 25 million dirhams for the next five years starting this year. The issue will be on the agenda at the regular session in May.