A 2008 image from Iraq showing a police officer aiming a firearm at a stray dog has been falsely circulated on social media as evidence of animal cruelty in Morocco, Reuters Fact Check revealed on December 3. The photo, shared on X on November 18 and viewed more than 1.4 million times, was captioned: «The world is staying silent in the face of the atrocious massacre of dogs in Morocco». The post falsly claimed that Morocco's «king ordered the elimination of all dogs ahead of the 2030 World Cup (3 million street dogs)». However, the image is an Associated Press photograph taken in Baghdad in November 2008 during a local campaign to manage stray dogs, entirely unrelated to Morocco, Reuters debunked. Following Morocco's selection to co-host the 2030 World Cup with Portugal and Spain, several activist groups alleged a «mass culling» of stray dogs ahead of the tournament. Moroccan officials have firmly rejected these claims, with the Interior Ministry stressing earlier this year that any suggestion of a plan to eliminate 3 million dogs is «entirely baseless».
Authorities maintain that Morocco follows an ethical, internationally recognized approach to managing stray populations through the TNVR method (trap, neuter, vaccinate, release).
