Salé ravaged by stray dogs, lack of public action exacerbates the phenomenon

Internet users in the city of Sale have launched a campaign on social media to “deplore the proliferation of stray dogs,” which they say are invading the city and threatening their well-being.

In response to the digital plea, Omar Sentissi, Mayor of the city of Salé confirmed that the municipality is planning the pickup of the stray animals on a daily basis.

In Sale, citizens told Hespress EN that “the number of stray dogs has been increasing alarmingly,” which some are linking to the ineffective means of waste disposal in the city.

In fact, packs of stray dogs are constantly seen in the city’s busiest areas, sometimes exceeding a dozen, which makes some residents increasingly worried about going out at certain times of the day.

Salma, a domestic worker living in Sale El Jadida, told Hespress EN she struggles to fall asleep due to constant barking in her neighborhood. Many have amplified Salma’s concern, adding that they think “stray dogs represent a real public danger for their health.”

For a long time, Moroccan authorities’ reaction to these hoards of strays has long been euthanization, poisoning, or even shooting the dogs with rifles. These practices have been banned in 2013, which some also point as a reason for the rise in strays since the initial lockdown in March 2020.

Mayor Sentissi confirmed this, saying that “the only thing that is new is that we are no longer allowed to poison or kill the strays in public, which explains the increasing number of dogs in Moroccan streets.”

The mayor said that local authorities are trying “to find a concrete solution to this problem,” announcing the “launch of a project to build a veterinary clinic” to accommodate and treat the dogs.

The official said that a call for tenders has already been published and that the project has a deadline of 6 months to be ready. This clinic will receive stray dogs, vaccinate them and sterilize them.

Imad B, a member of a stray animal shelter and activists, calls out this practice, telling Hespress EN that “killing the dogs is not only inhumane but inefficient.”

According to Imad, the “serious lack of government action in the care and management of strays, especially dogs, is outrageous,” adding that “the solution should be the creation of proper facilities to care and treat the animals while putting them up for adoption.”

Dogs are a primary vector of transmission of the rabies virus. Every year, several people are bitten by stray dogs and some end up dying from rabies, a deadly disease that Morocco is struggling to eradicate. But Imad says “the existence of vaccines, and the numbers on the virus in the country reflect the reality, which is that many strays’ suffering is simply based on fear.”

Despite there being serious concerns over such viruses, a humaine, lasting, and wholesome containment plan is needed in the country, for which citizens and animal activists alike are hoping.