Target: Hicham Balaoui, Prosecutor General of the King at the Court of Cassation and President of the Public Prosecution, Rabat, Morocco (Hague Conference on Private Law)
Goal: Identify and prosecute whoever abandoned two young dogs inside a rooftop cage without food, shade, or clean water, leaving both with advanced heat stroke and severe dehydration.
Municipal officers and animal rescuers entered the rooftop terrace of an abandoned residential building after receiving repeated complaints. There, they discovered two young mixed-breed dogs confined inside a rusted iron cage. The animals had no access to shade, food, or clean drinking water despite soaring summer temperatures. Veterinary examinations subsequently documented advanced heat stroke, severe dehydration, and flea-borne infections, suggesting the dogs had remained exposed on the rooftop for several days.
Finding who left them there is now the central challenge. The building’s legal owner reportedly lives abroad, and investigators have yet to establish who possessed keys or otherwise had access to the terrace. Police are interviewing neighbors and examining surveillance footage from a bakery across the street, hoping to identify anyone entering the property or carrying pet supplies during the relevant period. No suspect has been identified, and no court has established criminal liability.
A locked cage eliminated every avenue of survival. The dogs could not search for water or escape the relentless sun. Once identified, if evidence establishes that someone knowingly abandoned them under these conditions, authorities must pursue meaningful consequences under applicable Moroccan law.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Prosecutor General Balaoui,
Two young dogs endured days inside a rusted rooftop cage without adequate water, food, or protection from intense summer heat. By the time rescuers reached them, both were suffering from advanced heat stroke and severe dehydration.
Determining who confined or abandoned these animals will require careful investigation. Surveillance recordings, access information, and testimony from residents could establish who entered the building and who had responsibility for the dogs.
Please ensure that the appropriate prosecutorial authorities pursue every credible lead. Once sufficient evidence identifies whoever subjected these dogs to prolonged exposure and deprivation, appropriate prosecution and penalties should follow. Animals trapped without the means to seek water, shade, or help deserve justice.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo credit: Jeremy Vandel
