Gibraltar - Apes and Caves

Ape Over Elma

The Barbary Apes, as they are called here in Gibraltar, are actually Macaques. Nobody knows how the famous tailless Macaques came to be on the Rock. They certainly have brothers and sisters across the Straits on Mont Abyla.

In an article in the scientific journal, Oryx, a Mr Zeuner says that ten million years ago Macaques roamed across France, Holland and Germany. He believes the onset of the iceage may have driven them south with the last traces of them found nestling on Gibraltar’s rock.

There are six troops of Macaques and they can be viewed at the Apes’ Den at the Upper Rock Nature Reserve. It can be reached either by the Cable Car or, as we did, by taking one a Van Rock Tour, which is what we did.

A popular belief holds that as long as Barbary Apes exist on Gibraltar the territory will remain under British rule; it is said that during World War II Winston Churchill specifically ordered the dwindling population to be replenished for this reason.