A gentle street dog adored by local children has been filmed dying in a pool of blood after being shot by Moroccan authorities, sparking fresh outrage over the country’s mass slaughter of free roaming animals ahead of the 2030 World Cup.
The dog, known to residents of Nador as ‘Sloughi’, had already survived one shooting last year. The first attack left him so badly injured that locals raised money for life-saving surgery, paying for his leg to be amputated. Against the odds, the young dog recovered, and became a much-loved figure in the neighbourhood.
Heartbreaking footage now shows the animal’s final moments.
The dog can be seen collapsed on the ground, gasping for air, his body slick with blood as he desperately pants in pain. Residents are heard crying out in horror as he struggles to lift his head.
Just days earlier, another clip captured the real ‘Sloughi’: a joyful, gentle dog wagging his tail as a group of children flocked around him, stroking his head and wrapping their arms around him. The youngsters giggle and compete for his attention while the dog leans into them soaking up the attention.
Campaigners say the contrast between these videos, of a happy family-friendly community dog, and the same dog shot and left to die, is proof of the “barbaric” reality behind Morocco’s claim that animal culling has been banned.
The International Animal Welfare Protection Coalition (IAWPC), which is leading a global campaign to stop the killings, says Sloughi’s death is not an isolated tragedy but part of a mass extermination programme.
According to the Coalition, authorities in Morocco are killing dogs at an estimated 10,000 per week. In Nador alone, the IAWPC recently obtained a 2025 ammunition request showing an order for “1,000 Hunting cartridges” specifically “for shooting stray dogs”.
Les Ward MBE, chair of the IAWPC, said the violence is leaving deep emotional scars on the country’s children.
“Sloughi’s death is horrific, but it is just one of thousands,” he said. “We are seeing children traumatised by the sound of early-morning gunfire, by the cries of dying dogs outside their homes, and by the sight of blood running down their own streets. This is not only barbaric for the animals, it is profoundly damaging for the young people growing up in these communities.”
Local residents in Nador echoed that sentiment in testimony shared with the IAWPC. One said Sloughi’s suffering “left a deep wound in the heart of every resident” and accused authorities of acting with “bloodlust” and a “disturbing pleasure in tormenting innocent beings”.
They added: “The early-morning gunfire, the cries of injured dogs, and the sight of blood in front of people’s homes spreads fear… it leaves psychological scars that may last a lifetime.”
The killing also raises serious questions for FIFA. In 2024, Morocco told football’s governing body in a statement included in the official 2030 World Cup Bid Evaluation Report, that the country had prohibited all culling of animals since August 2024 and was instead investing in humane programmes for stray dogs.
Under FIFA’s bidding rules, all such statements are legally binding. Campaigners say the footage from Nador is irrefutable evidence that Morocco has broken those commitments.
Les Ward added: “For Morocco to claim that dog culling has ended, while continuing to shoot dogs in their thousands, is a breach of trust, a breach of contract, and a breach of basic decency. FIFA cannot turn a blind eye to this.”
The IAWPC is calling on the Moroccan government to immediately suspend all killing operations and adopt CNVR, Catch, Neuter, Vaccinate, Return, the internationally recognised humane method for managing street dog populations. If not, FIFA should suspend Morocco as a co-host until they do!!
