Ouzoud monkeys: how to meet the Barbary macaques

The monkeys you meet at Ouzoud are Barbary macaques, a tailless primate that lives in the mountain forests of North Africa and, as visitors quickly notice, does not mind sitting on a stone wall or a railing in front of a camera. IUCN says the Barbary macaque is the only one of 20 macaque species to occur in Africa, that it is found in Morocco and Algeria and that it is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.¹ Those few facts change how the animals should be treated.

The highlights of our own tour listing promise wild Barbary macaques near the falls, and a second listing is even titled around a wild monkey stop. They are not a show. They are wild animals that live along the trails, in the olive trees and on the rocks near the pool, and they go about their own routines while visitors file past. Seeing them is a bonus on the day, not something the day can guarantee.

People often ask whether the animals are tame. They are not, even when they seem relaxed. They have become used to crowds, which is why they let you come close, but they stay unpredictable, and a macaque that is comfortable at close range can change its mind in a second. The best encounters are the quiet ones, when you stop at a distance, watch what the group is doing and let the animals decide how close to come.

It surprises many visitors that an animal that appears so easy to find is in trouble in the wild. IUCN lists the species as Endangered, and it says deforestation and forest degradation in the rural mountain areas of Morocco and Algeria threaten endangered species such as the Barbary macaque.^1,4 The Barbary macaques at the Ouzoud waterfalls are one small part of a wider population whose forest habitat is under pressure.

The same IUCN statement points to a second pressure: the animals are often illegally trafficked to Europe, and the species is also found in Gibraltar.³ The pet trade is part of why a visitor should never pay a person who offers a monkey for a photograph, and why the sight of a macaque on a chain or in a costume is a warning sign rather than a photo opportunity. Choose the animals that are free on the trail.

There is a reason to care that goes beyond the animal itself. IUCN says macaques are vital to disperse seeds in the forest, and that without them the very composition of the forest would change dramatically.² It also notes that the animals attract a large number of tourists to Morocco every year, which means that behaving well around them is a small contribution to a species that people travel to see.⁵

Ouzoud waterfalls monkeys have learned that visitors carry food, and they will test a loose bag. Use a backpack with zips rather than an open tote, carry food inside it and close the pocket after each use. Sunglasses perched on a head, a loose phone in a hand and a water bottle in a side pocket are all easy targets. Keep valuables in an inner pocket and keep your hands free on the steps, where you need them anyway.

If a macaque takes something, do not chase or fight for it. The item is rarely worth an injury, and a scuffle draws attention and risk. Tell the guide, who may be able to recover it, as one traveler's review of our tour describes with a different lost item and a guide who helped to get it back. Always be careful with phones near railings and bridges, because a dropped phone is harder to recover than a snatched one.

Photograph them with a zoom rather than with your face close to the lens. A selfie with a wild animal over your shoulder is how most conflicts start, because you are looking at the screen and not at the animal. Turn off the flash, which can startle, and keep to the path rather than stepping off it for a better angle, since the edge of a stone ledge near the water is slippery and the animal may feel cornered.