Barbary Macaques live on the upper rock nature reserve in Gibraltar. They are the only wild monkeys in Europe. Often referred to as Barbary apes, but they are actually tailless monkeys. They seem very used to having people around, and almost seem to pose for pictures. The kids were both fascinated by them and both said, that they wanted to touch them “so bad.” Although the monkeys do occasionally jump on peoples’ backs, there are many signs posted to remind you that they are wild animals and they can bite.
We saw many monkeys jump on parked or moving cars. This little guy liked this side mirror so much, that he kept jumping back and forth from cement wall to mirror. Occasionally some monkeys will venture down the Rock and create a mess, but not as much anymore since they outlawed feeding of the monkeys.
As we walked back down the Rock, Luie commented, “Wow, I never knew we were going to see monkeys today. That was the best walk ever!” He has been asking to go back up every day since.
Its been great seeing/reading your adventures!! Looks like you guys are having a blast!!
Yes, we are really having a great time. It is fun to be out exploring and trying new things. The kids are really benefitting from this experience also.
Did you come across the Barbary figs around there somewhere? And where/what is Barbary? =P
Hello Chris, I didn’t know the answers to your questions, so I did some research. It turns out that the Barbary fig is another name for the fruit from the prickly pear cactus. I also learned that the oil is believed to have excellent anti-aging properties. Because of this, the oil is being sold at $1440/litre. However, it takes 4 tons of fruit to produce 1 litre of oil. It turns out that in Morocco this is being used as a new cash crop. Thank you for the question, because now I just learned something new! Hope all is going well for you! Dave