Gibraltar wildlife guide

Barbary macaques

Gibraltar’s famous “apes” are not apes at all. They are Macaca sylvanus: intelligent, social, tailless Old World monkeys with a history tied to North Africa, the British garrison and one very specific wartime instruction from Winston Churchill.

Hero photograph: Swphotouk, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.

Scientific nameMacaca sylvanus
What are they?Old World monkeys
Visible tailAlmost none
Gibraltar populationAbout 200
Global statusEndangered
01 — Identity

Not apes. Still monkeys.

“Barbary ape” and “Rock ape” are traditional local names, but the animal is a macaque — a member of the Old World monkey family.

The confusion comes from the almost complete absence of a visible tail. Apes also lack tails, so the nickname stuck. Anatomically and evolutionarily, however, Barbary macaques belong with other macaques, baboons and related Old World monkeys, not with chimpanzees, gorillas or humans.1

They are the only macaque species naturally found outside Asia. Their main native populations live in Morocco and Algeria. Gibraltar supports Europe’s only free-ranging population, managed on the Upper Rock but able to move and forage freely.2

FamilyCercopithecidae
Native regionNorth Africa
Typical foodPlants, seeds, fruit and invertebrates
Social structureMulti-male, multi-female groups
Adult Barbary macaque sitting on the Rock of Gibraltar
Adult Barbary macaque in Gibraltar. Photograph: Acediscovery, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
Female Barbary macaque nursing an infant in Gibraltar
A female nursing an infant. Photograph: Wolfgang Moroder, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
02 — Origins

How did they reach Gibraltar?

No one can give a completely certain answer. The strongest evidence points to animals brought across from North Africa and reinforced over time.

Written records place macaques on Gibraltar by the early eighteenth century. Older stories link them to the Moors, the British garrison or even a mythical tunnel beneath the Strait, but those stories are not equal forms of evidence.

Genetic research found ancestry connected to both Moroccan and Algerian macaque populations. That mixed signature supports the idea that Gibraltar’s population was created or replenished through more than one introduction from North Africa, rather than surviving untouched from an ancient European population.3

Gibraltar’s government now describes the species as North African and likely introduced within the past few centuries. Whatever their precise arrival story, they have become inseparable from the natural and cultural identity of the Rock.4

03 — Churchill and the legend

A wartime order about macaques

The old legend says Britain will remain in Gibraltar for as long as the macaques remain on the Rock. During the Second World War, their declining numbers reached the desk of Winston Churchill.

On 2 September 1944, Churchill directed that the Gibraltar population should be brought to and maintained at 24 animals. The instruction is documented, not merely part of the folklore.5

“The establishment of the apes on Gibraltar should be twenty-four.”Winston Churchill, directive of 2 September 1944

Animals were brought from North Africa to strengthen the depleted population. Churchill’s intervention did not create Gibraltar’s macaques, but it became the most famous episode in their managed history.

1700s

Historical records confirm macaques were already present on Gibraltar.

1913

A declining population prompted the import of additional females from North Africa.

1944

Churchill ordered that the population be raised to and maintained at 24.

Today

The managed population is stable at roughly 200 animals across seven groups, according to Gibraltar government reporting in 2025.

04 — Social life

A troop is a society.

A macaque encounter makes more sense when you stop seeing isolated animals and start seeing relationships.

Barbary macaques live in organised social groups. Grooming helps maintain bonds, status affects access to food and space, and adults of both sexes can take part in caring for young. Adult males are especially notable for carrying, protecting and interacting with infants — a level of male infant care that is unusual among macaques.2

GroomingIt is hygiene, but it is also social currency: a way of maintaining alliances and reducing tension.
Infant careYoung macaques attract attention from several adults, not only their mothers.
ForagingThey eat wild plants and receive managed supplementary food; human snacks are not part of a healthy diet.

Gibraltar’s macaques are free-ranging but managed. A professional team monitors their health and population, provides veterinary oversight, supplies fresh water and gives controlled supplementary feeds of fruit, vegetables and nuts alongside natural foraging.6

05 — Safe viewing

Used to people is not the same as tame.

The best encounter is calm, hands-off and led by the animal’s behaviour — not by the visitor’s attempt to manufacture a photograph.

Touching, feeding or otherwise interfering with macaques is illegal in Gibraltar. Official guidance stresses that they remain wild animals even when sitting quietly near people.7

Do not feed

Human food damages health, disrupts natural behaviour and teaches macaques to pressure visitors for food.

Do not touch

Do not stroke, hold, tease or encourage climbing. Physical contact can trigger threat displays, scratches or bites.

Control food and bags

Macaques associate bags with food. Keep food completely out of sight and avoid opening bags beside them.

Give them space

Never crowd an adult with an infant, block an escape route or squeeze past an animal on a narrow path.

Young Barbary macaque sitting on rock in Gibraltar
Young Barbary macaque on the Rock. Photograph: Peperle, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
06 — Conservation

A famous population of an endangered species

Barbary macaques are classified as Endangered globally. Habitat loss, fragmented North African populations and illegal wildlife trade remain serious threats.2

In Gibraltar, illegal feeding remains a management problem. Government reporting in 2026 linked visitor-provided high-calorie food to biological harm and reiterated the risks of touching, teasing and feeding, including disease transmission between people and macaques.8

Respecting the rules is not merely about visitor safety. It protects the animals’ health and keeps their behaviour wild.

See the Upper Rock properly

Meet the macaques with context, not just a camera.

This page provides the facts. A local guide can add the landscape, the history, the troop behaviour and the judgement required for a calm encounter.

Explore Gib Rock Tours Check the sources
References and further reading

Factual sources

  1. Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Society
    Taxonomy and the misleading “ape” nickname.
  2. Natural History Museum
    Species biology, range, origins and conservation status.
  3. International Churchill Society: genetic origin summary
    Moroccan and Algerian genetic ancestry.
  4. Government of Gibraltar, July 2026
    North African origin, likely introduction and national significance.
  5. International Churchill Society
    Churchill’s 1944 directive and the documented population history.
  6. Government of Gibraltar, May 2026
    Current management, feeding and conservation work.
  7. Gibraltar Nature Reserve
    Official visitor guidance: no touching, feeding or interference.
  8. Government of Gibraltar: illegal feeding impacts
    Health, behaviour and disease-transmission concerns.
  9. Government of Gibraltar, 2025 population report
    Stable population of roughly 200 across seven groups.
  10. Government of Gibraltar, May 2026
    Current GPS tracking and evidence-based management research.
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