Rabat: Stray dog management operations in Morocco are being carried out with a focus on animal welfare, according to Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit. Speaking during a session at the House of Councillors, Laftit outlined the framework provided by law no. 19.25, which aims to protect stray animals while ensuring public safety. This law strikes a balance between caring for these animals and mitigating the dangers they might pose, ensuring the safety and security of citizens.

According to Agence Marocaine De Presse, Laftit addressed concerns about media reports that have criticized Morocco’s handling of stray dogs, stating that these criticisms often present misleading information that does not reflect the country’s efforts. He emphasized that Morocco has been targeted by media campaigns that misrepresent the national initiatives in place for animal protection and public health.

The minister detailed the government’s actions, which include issuing circulars to local authorities to establish and equip centers for stray animals. These centers are tasked with using the most efficient management methods and deploying qualified intervention teams to collect stray dogs. The teams ensure that sterilized and numbered animals are not recollected. The government has allocated nearly MAD 240 million over the last five years to support these centers and provide necessary materials for animal collection and sterilization.

Laftit highlighted a framework agreement established in 2019 involving several ministries and organizations, which focuses on surgical sterilization and rabies vaccination to manage the stray dog population. This approach is designed to first stabilize and then gradually reduce the number of stray animals.

Progress has been made in establishing animal dispensaries, with over 20 scheduled to be completed, including operational centers in Rabat and others nearing completion in major cities like Casablanca and Marrakech. Funding has been approved for additional dispensaries in various regions, and a mobile veterinary complex is being developed in Kenitra to provide comprehensive veterinary services.

The minister also explained the preventive measures against rabies, stating that his department allocates MAD 40 million annually to the Pasteur Institute of Morocco for vaccines and serums. This is supplemented by another MAD 40 million from local authorities for equipment necessary to combat rabies in health centers across the country.