World-leading conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall has condemned the actions of Morocco and urged action from FIFA over the killing of three million street dogs ahead of the 2030 World Cup.
Thousands of stray dogs have already been massacred in venues across the north African country, warned animal welfare groups last year as the bid to host the tournament alongside Spain and Portugal. But campaigners say a total of three million dogs are under threat of being slaughtered before it kicks off in a brutal clean-up of the streets.
Jane has now written to FIFA expressing her fears over the news that the government continues to kill street dogs despite stating to the organisation that the initiative stopped in August 2024. It reads: “I was absolutely appalled to see in the news that the Moroccan authorities are engaging in large-scale killings of street dogs as part of an apparent effort to make FIFA World Cup venues more ‘presentable’ to foreign visitors.
Dogs being rounded up in cages on the back of pickup trucks
“I am equally appalled to learn from the IAWPC – International Animal Coalition that you have been presented with detailed dossiers documenting these horrific acts, most of which are conducted in the most brutal and cruel fashion imaginable, and yet appear to have ignored them. “You must surely be aware of how football fans around the world – many of whom are also animal lovers – will react when they learn of this? There will be calls to boycott the country, and there will undoubtedly be pressure on tournament sponsors Qatar Airways to pull out.
Renowned environmentalist Dr Jane Goodall urged action from FIFA over the killing of three million street dogs
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Image:
Bill Wallauer/PA)
“Moreover, it will place FIFA itself under the spotlight once again. I know you have been working hard to rehabilitate FIFA’s reputation following recent scandals. If you fail to act, however, FIFA will be known for its complicity in an horrific act of barbarity – on your watch.” The International Animal Coalition, who has launched a campaign to highlight what it called “Morocco’s ugly secret” said dogs are being poisoned with strychnine which is injected directly into their bodies or fed to them by hand through poisoned bait.
A dog rounded up by one of the team
They also said gunmen cruise around the clock armed with rifles and pistols. The animals are often wounded and left to bleed out while thrashing and screaming in pain. Dogs are also hunted down and trapped with clamping devices and thrown into the backs of trucks to join other animals, before being taken to facilities to be inhumanely killed.
The group warned that since FIFA made its announcement in 2023, the inhumane and barbaric killing has increased dramatically. FIFA did not respond.