Barbary Apes, Gibraltar

Care and Protection
As Gibraltar became more populated, the resulting building forced the apes higher and higher up the Rock where vegetation is less abundant. All apes forage for roots, berries and insects but their main source of food are the meals provided by the army. This consists mainly of sweet potatoes, ground nuts, green vegetables, fruit and oatmeal. A member of the Gibraltar Regiment looks after the apes. He feeds them ever day at 8am and 4pm and the apes attend punctually at these hours!
.
Legend says no-one has ever seen an ape die or found a skeleton.

Protected species
When their numbers dwindled during WWII, Sir Winston Churchill gave orders that a minimum of 24 apes should be maintained, a ruling which has since been strictly enforced. At his personal insistence, measures were taken to ensure the apes' protection and survival. The Apes' Den, a group of special cages situated part of the way up the Rock, were built as a result of the statesman's concern for the Apes well being.
.
There are two packs living on the Rock. The Queen's Gate pack, normally seen by tourists, and a less domesticated pack which roams the Middle Hill area. The usual lifespan of an ape is about 18 years, but they have been known to reach 21.

Monkey Business
The apes are a breed of tail-less monkeys called the Macaca Sylvana whose natural habitat is in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. They were most probably introduced to Gibraltar during the Moorish occupation, around 700-1500 century and are the only tribe of monkeys living wild on the continent of Europe.
.
Legend tells that the apes are a symbol of British sovereignty and if they leave then the British will also leave Gibraltar. Consequently there have been many plots to kill the apes!

The Gibraltar-monkeys were brought by the English and now they are to be found on top of the rock. Tourist buses go there and the monkeys are waiting already for all kinds of sweets.