British tourists heading to Morocco risk being confronted with scenes of shocking animal cruelty in the heart of the country’s most popular holiday destinations, a coalition of 78 international charities from across the world, including house-hold names, have warned.
Holidaymakers visiting hotspots such as Marrakech’s Majorelle Gardens or Jemaa el-Fnaa square are said to be at daily risk of witnessing brutal dog round-ups, with animals strangled, shot or poisoned in full view of the public. Dogs used to guard Morocco’s luxury hotels are also reportedly confined to restrictive boxes during the day, their heads protruding helplessly into the scorching sun, before being released at night to patrol the grounds.
The stark warnings come in a letter from Les Ward MBE, chairman of the International Animal Welfare Protection Coalition (IAWPC), to the European Travel Agents and Tour Operators Association (ECTAA). The group last year signed a two-year strategic partnership with Morocco, naming it their “preferred destination for 2025” and pledging to promote the country as a “destination of excellence.”
Mr Ward accused Morocco of “massacring dogs and traumatising children” in a state-sanctioned cull ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which the country is set to co-host with Spain and Portugal. He also urged ECTAA members to reassess their “strategic partnership” with Morocco.
He warned, that “the public will find it absolutely astonishing and also worrying, that their travel company is promoting a country for them to go to, where brutal mass dog killings are taking place in public every day, psychological trauma is being inflicted on children and violence meted out on citizens that seek to stop the ‘death squads’. Inevitably, this is bound to have a “serious reputational risk” for the travel industry”. Despite laying out graphic evidence of dogs being poisoned, shot and strangled in front of tourists, the IAWPC says the letter has so far received no reply.
Mr Ward said: “How can they, with responsibilities to the public, receive information this shocking, stay silent and do nothing? ECTAA and its members are actively encouraging families to holiday in a country where tourists are at risk of seeing animals strangled, poisoned or shot in broad daylight. Responsible tourism is supposed to mean ethical tourism, but there is nothing ethical about mass dog killing. Silence is not an acceptable response.”
The IAWPC has also written to UK travel body ABTA, an “affiliate member” with ECTAA on the Morocco project. The IAWPC had previously written to ABTA in August 2024, warning them about the cruel and dangerous situation in Morocco.
The warnings come after a Spanish holidaymaker described the “most cruel thing” he had ever witnessed while on holiday in Marrakech.
Fran Bollo, 37, was standing outside the popular Hotel Ali, a central meeting point for European visitors, when he saw two dogs being strangled and killed in front of horrified tourists.
“Without warning, the first dog was hanged by the neck and dragged into a van,” Fran said. “The other dog barked in terror before suffering the same fate. Then came the bangs and the screams until everything went silent. They had killed them right there.”
Fran said tourists around him were left in tears: “I was threatened when I tried to take photos. The whole experience left a knot in our stomachs for the rest of the trip.”
Campaigners believe as many as three million dogs could be slaughtered before the World Cup kicks off, with culling intensifying around the proposed stadium sites. Next month, the FIFA U17’s Women’s World Cup tournament begins in Sale/Rabat. Already, large numbers of reports are being received, of violence and death already being undertaken close to the tournament sites. Disgracefully, some of the dogs killed, had only a few days previously, been ‘caught – sterilised – and released’ by Moroccan people.
Morocco is currently pushing through Draft Law 19.25, dubbed a “killing charter” by critics, which would even make feeding a stray dog a criminal offence.
Celebrities and conservation icons including Dr Jane Goodall, Chris Packham, Gary Numan, Lorraine Kelly and Downton Abbey star Peter Egan have backed the IAWPC’s calls for Morocco to abandon the cull and adopt humane dog-population controls such as trap, neuter, vaccinate, return (TNVR).
Ward said: “If Morocco continues to choose violence, then the international community, including the travel sector, should stand on the side of humanity and ethical tourism. How is it possible, for ECTAA and ABTA to simply tell families when booking their holidays and spending their hard-earned money in order to relax and enjoy themselves, that Morocco is their ‘preferred destination for 2025’ and is a ‘destination of excellence’. The public deserve better and should be given all the facts about what’s happening every day on the streets of Morocco and let them decide for themselves.”
For more information about the IAWPC’s campaign or to view footage, visit www.iawpc.org
