Assahafa.com
Minister of the Interior, Abdelouafi Laftit, stated on Tuesday in Rabat that all operations linked to the management of the stray dogs phenomenon are carried out with respect for animal welfare, with the involvement of animal protection associations in the fight against this phenomenon.
Speaking during question time at the House of Councillors, Laftit explained that law no. 19.25 providing for the protection of stray animals and the prevention of their dangers is designed to ensure a balance between the necessary care and protection of these animals, the guarantee of their right to life and the prevention of their dangers, in order to preserve the safety and security of citizens.
The minister also noted that Morocco is targeted by systematic media attacks aimed at tarnishing the Kingdom’s image, focusing in particular on the issue of stray dogs, stressing that these campaigns present false information out of phase with their true context, without taking into account either the real data or the scale of national efforts in terms of prevention, protection of public health and respect for the principles of animal rights.
He also pointed out that several circulars have been issued inviting local authorities to set up and equip collection and shelter centers for stray animals, to choose the most efficient method for their management, and to mobilize the material and human resources required for their operation, adding that stray dogs must be collected on a permanent and continuous basis by qualified and well-equipped intervention teams, while ensuring that sterilized and numbered animals are not collected.
Laftit also announced that nearly MAD 240 million has been allocated over the past five years to set up and equip centers for stray animals, in line with international standards, and to acquire materials and equipment for their collection and sterilization.
He noted that the Ministry currently supports several local authorities to curb the spread of stray dogs, as part of a framework agreement which provides for a new approach based on surgical sterilization of the animals to prevent their reproduction, in addition to vaccination against rabies.
The approach adopted as part of this agreement of partnership and cooperation, sealed in 2019 between the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, the National Office of Food Safety and the National Order of Veterinarians is set to first stabilize the number of these animals, then progressively reduce it.
In the same context, Laftit reported that over 20 animal dispensaries were scheduled to be completed by the end of July, including one in Rabat, which is now operational. At the same time, work is 95% complete on five dispensaries in Casablanca, Tangier, Marrakech, Agadir and Oujda, and 30% in Ifrane and Sidi Slimane.
The minister added that funding had been approved for five animal dispensaries in Kenitra, Errachidia, Khemisset, Mediouna and M’diq-Fnideq, while seven others were under consideration in the towns of Dakhla, Fez, Chichaoua, Fahs Anjra, Taroudant and Sidi Kacem.
He added that work had begun on a mobile veterinary complex in Kenitra, which is intended to be a model for the care and training of stray animals, particularly dogs and cats, stressing that the complex is characterized by its flexibility and its ability to be moved to different regions as required.
This mobile complex, he said, should offer comprehensive veterinary services, including vaccination, treatment, sterilization and temporary accommodation, thus enhancing the effectiveness of rapid interventions in the field. Laftit stressed the importance of this model in meeting urgent needs, particularly in areas lacking permanent infrastructures, underlining the need to “evaluate this model with a view to rolling it out nationwide.”
Concerning the preventive treatment services provided to citizens to combat rabies, the minister said that his department transfers MAD 40 million each year to the budget of the Pasteur Institute of Morocco to finance the purchase of vaccines and serums, adding that the Ministry of Health and Social Protection is working to distribute this material to 565 health centers, particularly in rural areas, to combat this disease.
This amount is in addition to the MAD 40 million allocated each year by local authorities for the purchase of this essential equipment for their 115 centers, he added.
Source: map
