Following multiple reports of lion sightings in a number of regions, Morocco’s National Agency for Water and Forests (ANEF) on Tuesday dismissed the possibility of lion attacks in the Khenifra and Oulmes regions, after a thorough on-site exploration, according to a press release issued by the ANEF.
After supposed sightings in the Khenifra region (Northern Central Morocco) in Sebt Ait Rahou province, Tribe Ait Boukhayou, and Oulmes, particularly in the Tifoughaline and Bouqachmir forests, ANEF launched an extensive exploration mission in collaboration with local authorities and the Royal Gendarmerie.
The on-site searches involved searching for traces of the large cats in the reported zones and nearby areas, as well as gathering new information from credible sources.
Observed footprints were classified as canid footprints, most likely a dog or a North African golden wolf. An autopsy performed on a lamb believed by locals to have been attacked by a lion in Oulmes, indicated that the puncture wounds were incompatible with those of a lion. The agency also stated that the bite marks were minimal, ruling out a huge feline, but rather pointing to a canid.
A drone survey of the forest areas yielded no observations or traces of lions, and ANEF indicated that field explorations are ongoing.