Gibraltar macaques

The Barbary macaque population in Gibraltar is the only wild monkey population in the European continent. Although most populations in Africa are facing declining populations due to hunting and deforestation, the population of the monkeys in Gibraltar is growing. At present, some 300 animals in 5 troops occupy the area of the Upper Rock area of the Gibraltar Nature Reserve, though occasional forays into the town may result in damage to personal property. As they are a tailess species, they are also known locally as Barbary apes or Rock apes, despite being monkeys (Macaca Sylvanus). The local people simply refer to them as monos (English: Monkeys) when conversing in Spanish or Llanito (the local vernacular). Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located off the Southeast coast of Spain. Primates including monkeys live in every continent besides Mainland Europe, Australia, and Antarctica. Maybe they wanted the macaques to live in Europe. Although the Barbary macaques form pat of tourism in Gibraltar, direct contact with them is strongly discouraged.