Sailing into Gibraltar, Home of Apes

by Nancy Knudsen on 13 Sep 2006 Sailing through the straits of Gibraltar clearly invites a stop at the thriving British community on the Rock of Gibraltar.

The Apes who inhabit this coveted strategic entry point to the Mediterranean are nearly as famous as the Rock itself. There is an old superstition that, if the Apes ever go, so will the British. It is a piece of history, up with which I can hardly put, that when Winston Churchill was told that there were only three apes left on the Rock, he ordered a tribe of replacements brought over from Africa.

Today these fairly spiteful creatures, probably made miserable by the constant daily taunts and/or well-meaning attention of the thousands of camera-waving tourists, are thriving and protected. An ape could be forgiven for thinking that the human species has a square black or silver blob permanently stuck over one eye. It is for this reason, maybe, that they look with such pity on the passing parade of shorts and bare midriffs, huge stomachs, flapping T shirts and bedraggled back packs that is their daily lot.

They leap on people’s heads and backs and grab back packs where they can smell food. Anyone who dares to munch an apple or lick an ice cream while passing through may find it confiscated by a fast moving determined ape – but they can also be quite movingly beautiful…..

Warning: if you don't like photos of Apes, don't go any further....