Statement of Condemnation
Regarding the Gunshot Wound of a Young Man During a Dog Culling Operation in Taroudant
The Social Organization for Animal Protection is following with profound anger and outrage the serious incident that occurred in the Rk Achbar neighborhood, part of the third administrative district outside the city walls of Taroudant, on the night of January 28, 2026. A young man, in the prime of his life, was shot in the right eye during an uncontrolled culling of stray dogs using firearms, carried out in the heart of a residential neighborhood.
What happened cannot be described as a random accident. On the contrary, it is the direct consequence of flawed policies, the absence of a responsible public vision, and a grave disregard for the life and safety of citizens. The use of live ammunition in a public space constitutes a clear violation of the principle of protecting physical integrity and the most basic rules of good administrative governance.
The Organization notes with grave concern:
The endangerment of residents’ lives through gunfire within residential neighborhoods;
The complete absence of any security or health protocol governing this type of operation;
The confusion and improvisation in the care provided to the victim, both by the relevant commission and the healthcare facility;
The delays, negligence, and lack of a clear medical diagnosis, which seriously infringe upon the constitutional right to healthcare;
The entrenchment of a logic of injustice against a low-income youth, instead of protecting him and redressing the harm suffered.
The Organization emphasizes that shooting stray dogs constitutes:
An inhumane practice;
An obsolete policy, morally and legally reprehensible;
This is glaring proof of the failure of local authorities and supervisory bodies to adopt sustainable solutions, despite the existence of recognized scientific alternatives, foremost among them the TNR (Trap-Neuter-Release) programs.
Consequently, the Social Organization for the Protection of Animals declares to the national public:
Its absolute condemnation of this dangerous behavior, which amounts to a serious administrative error;
That it holds politically and legally responsible all parties who supervised or authorized the use of firearms in a residential area;
That it demands the immediate opening of an urgent, independent, and transparent investigation, under the supervision of the public prosecutor’s office, in order to identify those responsible and apply the penalties provided by law;
That it calls for an immediate and definitive halt to the shooting of stray dogs throughout the entire national territory;
That it calls upon the State to fully assume its responsibility in protecting citizens, instead of turning them into victims of hasty decisions;
That it reaffirms its commitment to pursuing this issue from a legal and human rights perspective, without relinquishing the right to exercise all available legal remedies, both nationally and internationally.
The persistence of such practices confirms that citizens’ lives are treated with disregard, and that the issue of stray dogs is being exploited to justify violence, instead of being addressed through humane, rational, and responsible public policies.
In conclusion, the Organization reaffirms that true security is built neither on bullets nor terror, but on respect for the law and the joint protection of human beings and animals.
Done in Rabat, February 5, 2026
Social Organization for the Protection of Animals
President: Meryem Sabahi, Esq.
Legal Advisor and Human Rights Defender
