We meet Laith at a market in Morocco. He is a stately, imposing bull with gentle eyes. Laith is being sold here at the market for slaughter. When it comes time to load him onto the truck, he refuses to step onto the ramp, which is far too steep and unsuitable. Other ‘slaughter’ bulls are already loaded inside the lorry and space on board is very limited. Nevertheless, more and more animals are being loaded. Only Laith cannot be persuaded by the traders to enter the vehicle. They try various methods – none of which show any understanding or empathy for the completely frightened and exhausted bull; on the contrary, one act of cruelty follows another. When the traders fail to make any progress with the ‘usual’ methods such as tail twisting, pulling and tugging, they try kicking him violently in the stomach. They also repeatedly hit Laith in the face with full force with a thick wooden stick. His nose is bleeding. When Laith finally collapses from exhaustion next to the ramp and can no longer get up, they pour water into the bull's nostrils and ears and repeatedly poke him in the eyes with their fingers. It is horrific! We intervene again and again – and yet we cannot protect Laith from all this abuse and torment. It breaks our hearts and feels like a betrayal of him. Often, all we can do is point the camera at what is being done to him. For evidence – a testimony to the bitter reality not only for Laith but for the many cattle in Morocco. Laith's story shows once again how urgently the Moroccan authorities must finally take action to protect their “farm” animals. It is still a long and arduous road ahead, but we will not give up – for Laith and all the others we have met on our investigations there.
Morocco: Animal market in Khemisset - In memory of Laith
