GIBRALTAR APES

THEY ARE OFTEN CALLED BARBARY APES, BUT ARE TAIL-LESS MONKEYS, MACACAS SYLVANUS.

THAY ARE NATIVE TO NORTH AFRICA, THOUGHT TO HAVE CAME AS PETS AT THE BEGINING OF THE BRITISH GARRISON. ONE FOLKLORE TALE IS THAT THEY ARRIVED BY SUBTERRANEAN TUNNEL FROM MOROCCO, TO ST MICHAELS CAVE. ANOTHER LEGEND IS IF THEY DISAPPEAR GIBRALTAR WILL NO LONGER REMAIN BRITISH. SO STRONG IS THIS LEGEND THAT WHEN THEIR NUMBERS DWINDLED, WINSTON CHURCHILL HAD SOME MORE IMPORTED FROM MOROCCO.

THE APES LIVE IN PACKS IN A SEMI-WILD STATE, PEOPLE ARE WARNED NOT TO GET TOO CLOSE AND KEEP A SAFE DISTANCE