Ministry of Interior: The elimination of rabies and the long-term management of the stray dog problem

The Ministry of the Interior has taken a number of measures as part of its efforts to manage the stray dog problem responsibly and eradicate rabies, including:

– Disseminating circulars urging local governments to refrain from using firearms and toxic chemicals (strychnine) to eradicate stray dogs.

– Increasing public awareness regarding the value and use of the TNVR (Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return) approach, which is a moral and practical way to stop these animals from straying and entails catching, sterilizing, and immunizing them against rabies,

– Separate them, identify them by their earrings, and then return them to the area where they were collected to prevent disorientation and to ensure the steady growth of their population over time.

A procedure that was the focus of a partnership agreement, signed in 2019, between the National Office of Food Safety (ONSSA), the National Order of Veterinarians, and the Interior, Health, and Social Protection Ministries.

– The support of local governments and the execution of a six-year program (2019-2024) that aims to establish 76 Municipal Offices of Hygiene (BCH), including animal impoundments and antirabies centers, within Groupings of Local Authorities (GCT), for a total cost of 608 MDH.

– The continuation of the partnership agreement between the Ministries of the Interior, Health and Social Protection, and Economy and Finance, pursuant to which the Directorate-General for Local and Regional Authorities (DGCT) pays the Institut Pasteur du Maroc (IPM) an annual sum of 40 MDH for the purchase of rabies vaccination products (vaccines and serums). For better vaccination administration of those exposed to rabies, particularly in remote regions, these materials are made accessible to the Department of Health.

– Contribution to the annual dog-to-owner immunization initiatives.