If you are passionate about this territory, you have visited it or want to do it soon, surely you know-or it is important that you know-that the place has been inhabited by monkeys for a long time. It is strange because Gibraltar is the only place in Europe which houses a population of wild monkeys. Today in Science Daily Online we will tell you why there are monkeys in Gibraltar.Share us!
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We tell you why there are monkeys in Gibraltar
1.The monkeys and Gibraltar
Monkeys are already a symbolism that cannot be separated from Gibraltar .These are very important for tourism, and therefore for the economy, because the souvenirs of the place that do not portray the strait, have a painted, modeled, carved or stamped macaque.
Although it is not official, the Macaques are considered the official animal of the Penon. Today there are about 300 Berber macaques living in this territory. It is not even absolutely necessary to go to your assigned home: the «Natural Reserve of the top of the Penon», to know them.Monkeys sometimes walk around places outside, sometimes causing damage.
Despite this, locals and tourists, both today and throughout history, want the macaques to remain in place, but a question continues to hover around all Why are there monkeys in Gibraltar? The truth is that there are many theories that try to answer this question .Next, we will tell you and we will tell you which ones we think are the best.
2.The monkeys of Gibraltar in the history
One of the most accepted theories points out that monkeys in Gibraltar were brought by the Arabs in the early eighth century..These villagers are supposed to have macaques as pets, for those who took them with them to these lands and were with them until their expulsion in 1492.
It is also denied that it was the Arabs who originally brought the macaques to the area.Those who deny this say that The occupation of the monkeys in Gibraltar is much older.Some say they were brought by a population that stretched across southern Europe five million years ago.
Another theory points out that no one took anywhere to the monkeys. The macaques would have always occupied the area, but they would be the only ones I of Europe that had not yet become extinct .However, this hypothesis has been ruled out by some zoos because the DNA of monkeys in Gibraltar does not match that of the remains of those found in Europe.
The truth is that the most successful theory so far is that of Dr.Lara Modolo.She, in 2005, studied the DNA of the populations of the monkeys in Gibraltar, comparing it with other macaque populations in Africa, I hypothesize that: the founding females of the population of monkeys in Gibraltar came from Algeria and Morocco .
Beyond to affirm which of these four theories is true, what can be traced with certainty is that the macaques were in the area by 1700 , when Gibraltar became a British territory .And how do you know this? Well, there are many anecdotes, which also helped in the constitution of the history of the area, involving monkeys in Gibraltar and their pranks.
In the area is famous the saying: "provided that monkeys remain in Gibraltar, the British will continue to take the place." Well, this saying comes from the anecdote caused by the monkeys in the a sediment that took place between 1779 and 1783. The Spaniards and the French decided to attack Gibraltar but the howling of the monkeys alerted the British, which caused the attack to fail.
3 The monkeys in Gibraltar today
After this anecdote of war and monkeys in Gibraltar, already in the twentieth century, the population of monkeys fell loudly.It is said that by this time there were only seven monkeys.And, It was so much the fear of losing the macaques that Winston Churchill himself commanded to repopulate the place with monkeys .These new monkeys were brought by a special command of soldiers from elite from Morocco and Algeria.
The macaques of Beveria (or Macaca sylvanus , according to their scientific name) are now very well cared for by the government of Gibraltar. Every born A monkey is given an official name. This is aimed at preserving monkeys in Gibraltar, because by naming them special care will be taken with each one's life.This activity allows you to record the birth and death of each macaque of the area.
If you run into a monkey from Gibraltar, remember that although many are accustomed to locals and visitors, many others are not , so it is better to admire to animals from a distance.The local government recommends not feeding them because some meals can make them sick and even cause death.
And even here our approach to why there are monkeys in Gibraltar.We would like to read you What did you think the entrance? Do you know another theory? Have you had the opportunity to live a funny experience with a monkey? 128578; We await your comments.
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