Morocco’s Stray Dogs Face Hunger and Persecution Amid COVID-19 Lockdown

Stray animals are collateral victims of confinement. They can no longer count on the food scraps provided by cafes and restaurants to feed themselves, as the latter are closed due to confinement. Stray dogs continue to be shot and poisoned by the authorities in certain cities of the kingdom, in flagrant violation of the ban by the Ministry of the Interior. This is what happened in Sidi Rahal, Dar Bouâzza, Sidi Bouknadel, reports the newspaper l’Opinion.

Several people claim that dogs are victims of slaughter in several cities of the kingdom. Habiba Tazi, co-founder of the Association for the Defense of Animals and Nature (ADAN), said that this situation has led to a drop in the number of stray dogs, 90% of which have suffered during the lockdown period. In addition to facing hunger, they are under the constant threat of local authorities.

The fear of contracting the virus leads some people to entrust them to ADAN or to abandon them in the street, said Habiba Tazi. A statement confirmed by Lebbar Karima, chief medical officer of the Hygiene and Public Health Division of the city of Rabat, who reports that "the stray dogs present in the city are picked up and then taken to ADAN".