SFT

Stray dogs all over Morocco need a champion… When the stray dogs of Tangier needed a hero, little did they know theirs would come in the form of a petite woman with the heart of a lion and an unyielding spirit.  To these canines in need, Salima Kadaoui is nothing short of a super hero!

Ms. Kadaoui, better known as Sally to those who love her, returned to her birthplace of Tangier in 2012 to realize a lifelong dream of opening a sanctuary to care for the area’s stray, injured and abandoned animals.  In 2013, Le Sanctuaire de la Faune de Tangier opened its doors and it’s been running non-stop ever since, fighting a tidal wave of animals in need and human misconceptions. Through much hard work, Sally has managed to create in SFT one of the best sanctuaries in the world, recognized by the Dutch political party for the animals as “an amazing place, full of happy animals.”

For SFT, every life is precious and humans, as custodians of this planet, have a duty of care not only to each other but also to animals.  The sanctuary makes daily rounds throughout Tangier and the surrounding area delivering medical care and food wherever it’s needed.  Emergencies appear daily but no animal is left behind, thanks in large part to the services of generous and compassionate local veterinarian.  Animals, particularly babies, are routinely left at SFT’s gate and countless locals now bring their animals, many of whom they rely upon for their livelihoods, to Sally and her team for the care they need.

SFT’s educational programs are in full swing, with Sally answering invitations to speak at major animal welfare conferences in Madrid and Tunisia and elsewhere.  As Sally sees it, education is the key to permanent change.

Every year, thousands of Moroccan dogs are killed in mass, government-sanctioned cullings to control the population.  Determined to educate local authorities as to a more humane way to achieve the same goal, Sally found herself in an uphill battle from the start.  Progress was painfully slow but is now finally beginning to bear fruit, thanks in large part to SFT’s Project Hayat, a program for treating, neutering, vaccinating and tagging Tangier’s stray dogs.  To date, more than 500 dogs have graduated from the program and have been returned to their neighborhoods, now completely safe for humans to interact with.  Thanks to the efforts of SFT, the yellow ear tag has become recognizable to Tangier citizens and authorities alike.  In fact, Local authorities recently signed a convention prohibiting the killing of any stray dog displaying the yellow tag, an enormous sign of progress.  They also signed an agreement to subsidize Project Hayat to the tune of 25,000 Euros, yet to be received by SFT.  Much needed help has also come recently from the Brigitte Bardot Foundation that has sent SFT funding to sterilise, vaccinate and tag 160 female stray dogs.

Still, despite this good news, challenges to SFT’s very survival keep appearing, not the least of which is the sanctuary’s forced relocation due to their landlord’s decision to evict them from their current property.  Giving up NEVER being an option to Sally, a major campaign is now underway to raise funds for a new facility.

Operating 100% on donations from the public, SFT has managed to create a permanent safe haven, a home, for hundreds of assorted animals all of whom now enjoy a safe, parasite-free life of plenty… plenty of food, water, shelter and freedom… and, of course, plenty of love.

For a closer look at Le Sanctuaire de la Faune de Tanger, be sure to check out our YouTube video and don’t forget to like & subscribe to our YouTube channel!