chargement...
The Production Sectors Committee in Morocco's House of Representatives this week approved, by majority vote, amendments to Bill No. 19.25 on the protection of stray animals and the prevention of the risks they may pose, after the government accepted several proposed changes to the text.
The bill aims to establish rules for protecting stray animals from disease and other risks by ensuring their care and providing appropriate living conditions. It also introduces measures to prevent the risks stray animals may pose by controlling their reproduction and regulating their presence in public spaces.
Under the draft law, anyone may report the presence of a stray animal in a public space through any available means, particularly via a dedicated electronic platform. This applies to public streets, shared residential buildings and other public places, especially when the animal poses a risk to its own health or to public health and safety.
Article 5 prohibits anyone from caring for a stray animal by sheltering, feeding or treating it. Article 6 requires animal owners or keepers to take all necessary measures to protect their animals from threats to their health and safety, including preventing disease and ensuring they do not stray or roam in public spaces.
The bill also requires owners to maintain a health record for each animal, in accordance with procedures to be set by regulation, and to register every animal through the electronic platform. Once registered, each animal will receive an identification number linking it to its owner, who must ensure the animal carries this identification at all times. Owners wishing to relinquish an animal must hand it over to a designated stray animal care center and obtain a receipt confirming the transfer.
Penalties and fines
The draft law provides for prison sentences of two to six months and fines ranging from 5,000 to 20,000 dirhams, or either penalty, for anyone who deliberately kills, tortures or mistreats a stray animal.
Anyone who obstructs the work of the monitoring committee or stray animal care centers faces one to three months in prison and a fine of 10,000 to 35,000 dirhams, or either penalty. Deliberately exposing an animal to danger is punishable by a fine of 5,000 to 20,000 dirhams.
Animal owners who fail to declare an animal or maintain its health record face fines of 1,000 to 5,000 dirhams.
The bill also imposes fines of 500 to 2,000 dirhams on anyone who shelters, feeds or treats a stray animal in a public space, including streets, shared residential buildings and other public areas.
Anyone who deliberately allows an animal to stray or leaves it in a public place without supervision faces a fine of 10,000 to 20,000 dirhams. Owners who fail to report a lost animal or update its registration information are liable to fines of 5,000 to 10,000 dirhams.
In addition, owners who fail to take the required measures after being notified of an animal's death or infection with a serious disease through the electronic platform or by the competent authorities face fines of 5,000 to 15,000 dirhams.
The bill also stipulates that penalties will be doubled for repeat offenders.
