Rare Moroccan Atlas Dog Breed Faces Extinction Amid Global Trafficking

This breed of dogs is in high demand. Puppies are transported to be sold to wealthy families abroad for large sums of money, reports the Rue20 site, specifying that the price can reach 50,000 dirhams. Buyers come from various regions of the world, including Europe, America and Australia. Some tourists go specifically to the Atlas to search for these dogs and illegally transport them abroad, where they are sold at exorbitant prices, the same source reports.

Why does the Aïdi or Atlas dog attract so much attention? Robust, perfectly adapted to the Atlas mountains, this dog belongs to a breed specialized in guarding. The animal has protected families and their herds for centuries. It "is characterized by an extreme instinct and loyalty towards its family, as well as great caution towards strangers and remarkable vigilance towards its environment," it is specified.

Fearing that this Moroccan dog breed will disappear from Morocco like the Atlas lion, the Atlas cheetah, the Atlas leopard and the Atlas squirrel, local actors call for firm intervention to prevent these thefts.