Animal defenders confronted delegates arriving at World Travel Market with graphic footage of the human and animal cost of Morocco’s treatment of free-roaming dogs.
Campaigners from the International Animal Welfare Protection Coalition (IAWPC) staged the protest to bring the suffering of the country’s street dogs to the attention of the international tourism industry.
A hard-hitting video shown to people entering the event highlighted what the coalition says are the devastating consequences of Morocco’s current dog management policies, with suffering extending beyond the animals to the communities living alongside them.
World Travel Market London is a major international travel trade event, bringing together tourism authorities, tour operators, hotels and other travel businesses to promote destinations and build commercial partnerships. This year’s event took place at ExCeL London from November 3 to 5.
Delegates engaged with the campaigners and took flyers explaining the campaign, giving the team an opportunity to put animal welfare before people whose businesses help shape where tourists travel.
The action also carried a clear message to the Moroccan authorities that the IAWPC will continue campaigning and bringing international attention to the treatment of the country’s dogs.
The coalition, which brings together 86 animal welfare organisations worldwide, is campaigning to end the shooting, poisoning and inhumane capture and killing of free-roaming dogs in Morocco. It warns that up to three million dogs could be at risk as the country prepares to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
At the heart of its campaign is a demand for Morocco to replace lethal dog control with a nationwide programme of Catch, Neuter, Vaccinate and Return, known as CNVR, alongside responsible care and protection for the animals.
The coalition wants dogs to be humanely caught, sterilised and vaccinated before being returned to suitable locations, rather than shot, poisoned or taken to facilities where it says animals face further suffering and death.
By taking its campaign to World Travel Market, the IAWPC placed those demands before an industry with a direct interest in Morocco’s international reputation.
Campaigners used the protest to highlight the gulf between the welcoming image promoted to holidaymakers and the distressing treatment of animals they say continues on the country’s streets.
