Environmentalist Chris Packham and Downtown Abbey Star Peter Egan have backed a campaign to help end the killing of street dogs in Morocco.
The pair joined the International Animal Welfare Protection Coalition (IAWPC) which includes charities including RSPCA and Dogs Trust, to condemn the brutal public slaughter of 3million dogs, which is taking place as part of Morocco’s 2030 World Cup bid.
FIFA awarded the World Cup to Morocco, Spain and Portugal on December 11, 2024 and its evaluation report stated that the culling of animals in Morocco has been prohibited since August.
However, the IAWPC has proof that dogs are still being slaughtered daily to make stadium cities look good.
Autumnwatch presenter Chris Packham, who joins celebrity activists including Dominic Dyer, Marc Abraham and Wendy Turner Webster in condemning the actions of Morocco, said: “Spay, neuter, vaccinate is the only humane way to control the dog population in Morocco, and this horrifying footage shows that the authorities are not taking their responsibilities to the animals, and to the public seriously.
“I am calling for FIFA to also take its responsibilities seriously and tell Morocco that without a humane spay, neuter, vaccination scheme there will be no World Cup 2030. FIFA has the power to stop this madness.”
And Peter Egan, a committed animal advocate who starred in dramas including Downtown Abbey, Afterlife and Ever Decreasing Circles, added: “What is happening in Morocco is disgusting, and will have ramifications for years to come, whether it be by loss of tourism or simply the trauma that has been witnessed by young and old alike.
“There is no way that the authorities can rationalise this as canine population control, the only way to do this effectively and humanely is spay, neuter and vaccinate. What they are doing now does not stop the spread of rabies.”
The IAWPC has written directly to the King of Morocco urging action on the inhumane slaughter of the country’s dogs, and in the week of the vote activists took a video van to Buckingham Palace and the Moroccan Embassy showing recent footage of dog catchers slaughtering animals.
King Mohammed VI, has received a dossier from the International Animal Coalition, an alliance of 22 respected animal welfare and protection groups including the RSPCA, calling for him to intervene on a widespread cull, which is taking place in the cities of Morocco to clear the street dog population.
As part of the brutal cull, dogs who are either owned or stray are beaten and tortured on the streets of Morocco, either by shooting, poisoning or ‘catch and kill’.
The Moroccan Government’s relentless, merciless and ever-increasing toll of street and owned dogs being brutally killed continues, now being driven in preparation for the FIFA 2030 World Cup tournament, which the country hopes to co-host along with Spain and Portugal.
In the letter the Coalition warned: “We have written to the Government on a number of occasions, making it unambiguously clear, that Morocco through its cruel shooting, poisoning and ‘catch and kill’ programmes of street and owned dogs, is in breach of all recognised and acceptable standards of civilised behaviour in relation to the humane treatment, welfare and protection of dogs. Unsurprisingly, it never responds. We have written to FIFA on numerous occasions, including providing them with regular dossiers keeping them updated on the deteriorating situation.”
The letter, and accompanying evidence dossier, also warns that children are witnessing the gruesome killings, which is in contravention with their human rights.
The letter added: “You will be aware that this violence and these killings are being witnessed by children. Therefore, Morocco is also in breach of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (Article 19) and supporting General Comment 26 issued by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which states: “Children must be protected from all forms of physical and psychological violence and from exposure to violence, such as domestic violence or violence inflicted on animals”.
Les Ward, chairman of the International Animal Coalition (IAWPC), said: “FIFA published its evaluation report which outlines its views and findings on Morocco’s suitability to host the 2030 football World Cup.
“The report states that since August 2024 the culling of animals is prohibited in Morocco, however, the coalition has concrete proof that the daily slaughter of dogs continues relentlessly and without mercy in the streets of would be host cities for the tournament, as well as in other areas of Morocco.
“This includes dogs being beaten and rounded up in broad daylight in a residential street close to Majorelle Garden, the jewel in Morocco’s tourism crown, just last week.
“We urge FIFA to urgently take their due diligence seriously on this important issue, which sees dogs every day being brutally and violently killed.
“This cruelty being inflicted on these street and owned dogs, that are part of the fabric of Morocco, knows no bounds and results in harm to the welfare of Moroccan people – children and adults alike. Morocco is still trying to hide its ugly secret by still not telling the truth about the real situation within Morocco as this statement makes perfectly clear.
“FIFA needs to do so much more and not simply believe what it is being told by people desperate to make money from hosting the World Cup, people who are seeing and treating the dogs just like garbage.
“We are calling on FIFA to stipulate clearly that these brutal mass killings – that everyone else in Morocco and beyond knows is continuing relentlessly under Government instructions, needs to stop immediately and visible and monitored humane spay, neuter, vaccinate and release programmes put in place.
“Mention is also made of “resources being allocated to expand clinics and support programmes for dogs”.
“Because of the Government’s reputation and historical inhumane actions against dogs to date, there is a perceived fear that these facilities currently being built will be used for little other than ‘killing stations’, established to ‘permanently’ remove from behind closed doors, the community dogs from the streets before the start of the 2030 World Cup.
“This is yet another area that is going to require close monitoring and serious due diligence on the part of FIFA”
