Dylan Wagemans
A TEENAGE girl was terrorised by an encounter with one of the Barbary macaques that inhabit the Rock of Gibraltar. Read here what you should do when you encounter them.
A TikTok video showed two teenagers running away from a macaque that was following them.
A monkey was even seen reaching for the bag of one of the girls, who looked very terrified after the encounter with the animals.
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Some 300 animals are thought to inhabit the Upper Rock area of the Gibraltar Nature Reserve, living in five troops.
The macaques are a very popular tourist attraction. The most popular troop is the one at Queen’s Gate, where visitors can get really close to the monkeys.
How should you deal with them?
If you’re planning to pay the monkeys a visit, there are some things you should keep in mind.
They’re used to human interaction and will often approach, sometimes even climb onto people.
They might try to steal something from you that they think they can eat, that’s why you should remember to keep your backpack on your front, this is advice that Facebook-user @GibraltarGamers provided.
Always stay calm around the animals, chances are big that they will just ignore you when you act calm and keep your distance.
Don’t eat food when they can see you. They will definitely come at you if you open a pack of crisps, even better would be not to take any food with you, because they have a good sense of smell.
Nevertheless, they are still wild animals and will bite if they feel threatened or annoyed.
Direct contact with the monkeys is strongly discouraged, feeding them is an offence and can result in a fine of up to £4,000.
The macaque population in Gibraltar is the only wild monkey population on the European continent.
The Barbary macaques originate from the Atlas and Rif mountain ranges in Morocco, and they are thought to have been introduced during the islamic period, since they were already present when the British captured the area in 1704.
The macaques are an endangered species in the Moroccan mountain ranges because of hunting and deforestation, however the population of macaques on the Rock has only been increasing.
