FIFTEEN teenage boys are in hospital after they contracted potentially deadly rabies from a donkey they raped.

The Moroccan teens are being treated for the infection in the Mechraa Belksiri Hospital where they will receive vaccinations, reports the Moroccan daily Al Akhbar newspaper.

In a translation of the story the Morocco World News said local authorities were now asking for anyone else who had closely"admired" the animal to come forward in order to halt the spread of the disease.

The families of the boys are said to be distressed and horrified while the other residents in the small town of Sidi Kamel, where the incident occurred, are reportedly mocking and ridiculing those involved.

It's also been claimed the number of boys infected could be a lot higher as some families took their sons for treatment at hospitals outside of the local area in order to to avoid shame.

However, it has also become a subject of fear and shame for parents who, in the utmost secrecy, had their children vaccinated in case they had touched the animal.

The animal was later slaughtered by local authorities in order to halt the spread of the disease.