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Report of three MILLION dogs to be ‘massacred’ in the streets ahead of World Cup sparks worldwide fury

February 18, 2026 | | Print Article

The predominantly Muslim African nation of Morocco has reportedly been killing thousands of stray dogs ahead of the 2023 World Cup, which Morocco will be co-hosting with Spain and Portugal.

According to animal welfare groups that spoke to CNN, the nation is trying to “clean up” the streets of its many stray dogs — reportedly up to three million.

Omar Jaïd, the president of the Provincial Tourism Council of Ifrane, explained that the country has “started cleaning the streets of stray dogs, as part of our preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.”

But the “cleaning” process hasn’t involved trying to put these dogs in stable homes. Rather, it’s involved killing these dogs outright — a move that’s spurred international outrage.

“Individuals armed with rifles go out into the streets, often at night, and shoot the dogs,” International Animal Welfare Protection Coalition (IAWPC) chief Lee Ward told CNN.

“Others are rounded up and taken to municipal dispensaries where they are poisoned. They simply disappear,” he added.

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The New York Times notes that in the capital city of Marrakech, poisoned dogs are then disposed of “beyond the limits of the city.”

“In that poverty-stricken area, children earn a living from going through the rubbish for anything that can be sold,” according to the paper. “They are warned not to touch the dead animals, in case they themselves are poisoned.”

Amina, a 19-year-old from Ifrane, witnessed several strays being executed on the night of Feb. 9, 2024.

“[S]he was jolted awake by the sound of gunshots,” CNN notes. “Stepping outside, she discovered three dead dogs in a dumpster. One of them was a male husky she knew from the neighborhood.”

“I was terrified,” she recalled. “I carried the husky out of the trash can, covered in blood. I didn’t know what to do. I felt so helpless.”

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Some have alleged that stray cats are also being targeted (*Graphic content):

Latifa, a Moroccan mother, told The Telegraph that her teenage daughter was traumatized after witnessing an execution herself.

“The killers try not to leave anything behind, but sometimes they don’t shoot well, so the dog dies in another place,” she said. “That is what my daughter saw. It was a peaceful dog, living close to our street. My daughter saw her body, full of bullet holes. Her puppies were still trying to get milk.”

“After an hour or so, I went there to find the body, and they had removed the dog. But the puppies were lying there, dead. That was the first time my daughter saw anything like that. She was 14 years old. That violence does something to you. It does something to your mind,” she added.

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The Telegraph reported in November that it’d viewed a video of a stray dog being executed in the city of Oujda by two men who’d “arrived in the depths of night.”

“On a residential street in the Moroccan city of Oujda, they parked their small white van and walked towards the dog,” the report read. “The first man grabbed it by the tail and then dragged it across the road. The second man aimed his rifle, steadied himself, and shot it dead. The body was hurled into the back of their van.”

In a way, the dog was one of the lucky ones. The Telegraph notes that “countless other dogs” have been starved, beaten to death, or even burned alive.

Mohammed Roudani, an official with Morocco’s Ministry of Interior, appeared to defend the cullings in a statement to CNN.

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“Stray dogs pose a serious public health risk, particularly as carriers of rabies,” he told CNN. “Around 100,000 people are bitten every year, 40% of them children under 15.”

Vivek Saxena
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