Panic Grips Moroccan Province as ’Atlas Lion’ Rumors Persist Despite Official Denials

These rumors began to spread like wildfire after the discovery, last Thursday in Zaouia Sidi Ali Ouhmad, in the commune of Tidili, of the lifeless body of Abdelrahmane, a man in his fifties. The victim had been missing for two days before his body was found, torn to shreds. Alerted, the services of the Royal Gendarmerie, the local authorities and the elements of the scientific and technical police went to the scene. An investigation was opened on the orders of the competent public prosecutor’s office to determine the causes and circumstances of the victim’s death.

According to some, stray dogs would be responsible for the death of the victim, while others believe it is the work of the Atlas Lion, which was last seen in the Atlas mountains in the 1940s. Recently, a young woman of around 20 years old, who was watching her flock of sheep in a forest near Ait Boukhayou, in the province of Khénifra, claimed to have been attacked by surprise by an animal believed to be a "Lion".

In a press release, the National Agency of Waters and Forests announced that it had combed the entire area, in collaboration with the local authorities and the Royal Gendarmerie, in search of this animal. "During the investigations and field research, the footprints discovered in these regions were examined and identified, and the specialists considered them to belong to the canine family, perhaps a dog or a wolf," the statement said.

The hypothesis of lion attacks remains unlikely, the Agency supports, stressing that its teams "will continue the combing operations on the ground, remaining vigilant and attentive to intervene and react to any observation of this animal or any information about it".