Target: Abdelouafi Laftit, Moroccan Ministry of the Interior, Kingdom of Morocco
Goal: Remove or amend the draft provision that reportedly penalizes feeding and caring for strays, and ensure transparent TNVR—not alleged culling—with accountability for any unlawful killings.
A newly drafted law proposes fines on anyone who shelters, feeds, or treats a stray animal in public, turning everyday compassion into an offense. At the same time, activists have asserted mass culling campaigns, including poisoning and shootings, as authorities prepare for major international events. While the draft also includes penalties for intentionally killing or harming strays, the mixed signals—criminalizing care while seemingly allowing lethal crackdowns—have sparked widespread outrage and fear that cruelty could be normalized.
Officials have stated that a Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (TNVR) program has been in place since 2019 and that significant funds are being invested in facilities and sterilization. Yet rescuers and local groups assert that killing has continued, with claims of dogs being trapped and disposed of en masse. Public health concerns are real—dog bites and rabies require serious action—but punishing citizens for feeding or treating animals would likely push humane efforts underground, worsen suffering, and undermine vaccination coverage.
Sign below to demand humane, evidence-based control: fully funded TNVR with vaccination and identification; clear, designated feeding guidelines instead of blanket fines; public reporting on intake, surgeries, releases, and outcomes; and a categorical ban on poisoning and shooting. Any contractors or officials implicated in unlawful killings should, if investigations substantiate violations, face meaningful penalties under the law. Compassion should not be criminalized.
PETITION LETTER:
Moroccan Minister Abdelouafi Laftit,
A new draft law would penalize residents who feed, shelter, or treat stray animals in public, while activists allege that mass culling—including poisoning and shootings—has taken place. These approaches appear at odds with humane, effective population control and risk fueling more suffering and public mistrust.
We respectfully urge you to remove or amend the provision that fines people for caring for strays and to codify humane, transparent Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (TNVR) standards with public reporting. Clear, regulated feeding guidelines and authorization for trained volunteers can support vaccination, sterilization, and safer coexistence, rather than driving kindness into the shadows.
We also ask for an impartial inquiry into allegations of unlawful killings and, if violations are confirmed, for those responsible to face the strongest penalties available. Morocco can protect public health and uphold animal welfare by rejecting cruelty and ensuring that compassion is a cornerstone—not a crime—of policy.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Matteo Basile
