Wildlife on Gibraltar Rock
The monkeys
Gibraltar’s barbary macaques are the only wild monkeys in Europe. And they chose a scenic place with a mild climate to hang out in. The monkeys are thought to have come from Morocco, but it’s not certain when or how they came to Gibraltar.
Although arguably the monkeys are not strictly wild given there are feeding areas. The proximity of the town, when combined with plentiful tourists, doesn’t give it the feeling of the wilderness.
Yet, it’s still extraordinary to come this close to our little cousins. The proximity of the rock to town makes this accessible for kids, too, and a chance to meet exotic animals outside of captivity.
Keep wildlife wild
While these photos appear to be up close, it’s helped by having a decent zoom on my camera. I was always sure to keep my distance and watch out for any warning signs the monkeys felt intimidated. Care must be taken around all wild animals, especially ones as cheeky as these. Having said that, Gibraltar’s monkeys were relatively tame and appeared content ignoring their larger relatives. Of course, you still get the odd fool who invades their space, almost asking to be bitten (or have his phone stolen).
At play
The climbing ability and dexterity of these small beings is incredible. Even the younger monkeys masterfully scale the sheer slopes of with ease. Fascinating to witness, also, are the social interactions. We saw the monkeys lounging around; sleeping and grooming each other. And we saw a lot of playing, climbing, as well as the occasional show of dominance from larger monkeys.
Come for the monkeys, stay for the views
The hike up and around the mountain is quite short, but it is steep in parts. There are plenty of stairs on the most more direct paths – they provide a panoramic view of both Gibraltar, mainland Spain and, on clear days like this one, across the sea to North Africa. Alternatively, there’s a cable car for travel up to the top, and back down to the bottom, of the mountain.
