Tunisia is trying to save the Sloughi, an ancient dog of which only 200 specimens remain.

The Sloughi is one of the oldest sighthounds in the world. Swift, slender, reserved, and silent, its history dates back at least to classical antiquity, when it was already depicted in Roman mosaics and funerary steles from North Africa . For centuries, it has been the inseparable companion of the nomadic peoples of the Maghreb , an ally in hunting and guarding livestock, but also a member of the family group, treated with unusual respect for a functional dog.

Despite this long lineage, or precisely because of the fragility of such a long period of functional selection, the Sloughi now faces an uncertain future. According to the Centrale Canine Tunisienne (CCT) , fewer than 200 purebred dogs remain in the country due to reasons such as indiscriminate crossbreeding with other imported sighthounds, the disappearance of nomadic lifestyles, and the advance of urbanization, which are rapidly depleting an already small and dispersed population. And with it, a living part of Tunisia's intangible heritage is also disappearing.

A millennial legacy that is fading away

Often referred to as the Arabian Greyhound for its appearance and speed, the Sloughi is a breed native to North Africa, with particularly deep roots in Tunisia , Algeria , and Morocco . It has remained surprisingly stable over the centuries thanks to its geographic isolation and the selective criteria of desert peoples, who prioritized functionality over aesthetics , selecting only the best hunters, the most resistant and with the most stable character, as worthy of breeding.

The image of these dogs accompanying nomads on their journeys across the Sahara is part of the collective imagination of the Maghreb. Unlike other dog breeds, often relegated to the margins of society due to religious restrictions, the Sloughi has traditionally enjoyed a privileged status. In Tunisia, until recently, it was common to see these greyhounds sharing the interior of tents , eating alongside their keepers, and even appearing in inheritances.

However, this ancestral bond is beginning to fray. The loss of nomadism, the decline of traditional hunting, and the increasing importation of fast racing dogs, such as European greyhounds or Salukis from Asia, has encouraged uncontrolled crossbreeding that is diluting the pure lines of the local Sloughi. Many breeders, driven by sporting and especially economic interests, have favored these hybrids without considering the genetic and cultural value they were losing along the way.

Breeders against oblivion

Veterinarians like Olfa Abid, who lives with three Sloughis on the coast of Ras Angela, northern Tunisia, have been fighting for years to reverse this trend. Her dogs, Nemcha, Zina, and Zouina, not only run along the beaches as their ancestors did in the desert, but are also leading asocial media campaign to raise awareness of the breed and its decline. “The Sloughi is part of our history and our heritage. We must protect it,” explains Olfa Abid, who has moved to a house in the countryside to be able to provide them with the exercise and environment they need.

From the Tunisian Canine Center, its director, Noureddine Ben Chehida, is trying to have the Tunisian Sloughi recognized as a national breed within the standards of the International Cynological Federation (FCI) . Although there is already a registered breed named Sloughi, which also includes specimens from Morocco and Algeria, proponents of the Tunisian line argue that it has unique characteristics that deserve specific recognition.

This status would help better control their breeding, establish an official registry, encourage responsible selection, and, above all, strengthen their local prestige. "We inherited this dog from our ancestors," breeder Nabil Marzougui told Agence France-Presse (AFP) from the city of Douz, on the edge of the Sahara. "It's part of our identity, like an archaeological site or a work of art."

A way of life in extinction

Beyond its symbolic or functional value, the Sloughi represents a way of life that is disappearing. These dogs have an independent nature, extreme sensitivity, and demand a daily level of exercise that makes them incompatible with the pace of today's urban life . Even in countries where sighthounds have been revalued as companion dogs, the Sloughi remains a very demanding dog, reserved, and unsociable with strangers. It's not a dog for everyone.

This requirement has partly contributed to its marginalization as a fashionable breed, but at the same time, it makes it a unique piece of the cultural and cynological biodiversity of the Maghreb.