Across Morocco, thousands of street dogs are vanishing. Their disappearance is not the result of natural decline, rehoming, or structured welfare programmes. It is the consequence of large-scale culling operations that have intensified in the run-up to major international sporting events, most notably the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will co-host.
A recent news report, titled Do millions of dogs have to die because of the World Cup?, lays bare the severity of what is unfolding. It documents allegations of street dogs being shot, poisoned, burned, or left to starve in makeshift holding pens. For those of us working every day with Morocco’s abandoned and mistreated animals, these accounts are not abstract. They echo the reality our team faces each morning at the Beldi Refuge.
A crisis unfolding on the doorstep
Set in the Rif Mountains, just outside Chefchaouen, the Beldi Refuge is home to around 120 rescued dogs at any given time. Every bark that rings across the hillside marks a life saved from the streets. Many of these animals arrived malnourished, frightened, or injured after surviving violence or neglect. Some were the sole survivors of their packs.
The article describes the cultural and systemic challenges surrounding Morocco’s stray population. Dogs are often viewed as unclean, unwelcome, or dangerous, and these long-standing perceptions have left little room for compassion at municipal level. Although a royal order in 2019 called for humane population management, including vaccination and sterilisation, the report suggests that the directive has not been upheld in many regions. Instead, mass culling has continued, allegedly justified as a means of preparing cities for upcoming tournaments.
The result is a profound gulf between the needs of vulnerable animals and the actions carried out in their name.
The human voices behind the work
Much of the story centres on the work of Beldi Dog Rescue founder Eyleen Kanzler and the dedicated local team, including staff member Nada Zaouyte. Eyleen’s path began with a holiday in Morocco in 2018, when she discovered that the dogs she had been feeding on the streets had been poisoned overnight. With no shelters, no legislation protecting street animals, and little veterinary infrastructure, she chose to stay and build something where nothing existed.
What began as a lone effort now encompasses more than 1,500 animals rescued, vaccinated, sterilised, and rehabilitated. This includes the Taggy Dog initiative, which allows treated dogs to remain safely in their communities with identifiable tags to prevent them being targeted in culling programmes. In Chefchaouen alone, hundreds of dogs now carry these blue markers.
Yet even as this work expands, the pressure grows. According to welfare groups cited in the article, Morocco may be preparing to eliminate up to 99 percent of its stray dog population. If accurate, the scale would be catastrophic.
The wider context: a nation under strain
The controversy does not exist in isolation. The article also covers the growing Gen Z protest movement within Morocco, where young people express frustration over government spending on stadiums while healthcare and essential services remain underfunded. Their demonstrations include explicit concerns about the cost of preparing for the World Cup, and the impact on both people and animals.
It is a complex national moment: civic pride on one hand, profound social need on the other. Into this already strained landscape, the welfare of millions of street dogs has become a silent casualty.
Organisations like ours are attempting to create sustainable, humane alternatives, but this work requires cooperation, education, and government endorsement. At present, these elements do not sufficiently align.
What the dogs show us
Back at the refuge, the atmosphere tells a different story from the grim accounts of poisoning and shooting. As Nada moves between enclosures with bags of food balanced on her shoulder, she is greeted by wagging tails, nudges, and quiet gestures of trust from animals who have survived unthinkable ordeals.
These dogs do not know about the World Cup. They do not understand politics, investment, or infrastructure. They know only whether they are safe, fed, and cared for.
Their resilience is a reminder that every life saved is meaningful, even within a crisis as large as Morocco’s stray population.
A link to the full article
You can read the article here: Do millions of dogs have to die because of the World Cup?
Why sharing this story matters
The international spotlight that accompanies the World Cup has the potential to obscure uncomfortable truths, but it can also prompt global attention, scrutiny, and compassion. Bringing awareness to the reality faced by Morocco’s street dogs is not an act of criticism for its own sake. It is a call for humane, sustainable management of animal populations and cooperation between authorities, charities, and communities.
At Beldi Dog Rescue, we will continue caring for the animals entrusted to us, expanding education programmes, and pursuing dialogue with officials in the hope of change. The challenges are immense, but silence is not an option.
https://beldidogrescue.com/animals/