Friday, January 20, 2006
It Would Rock to be a Macaque
Recently, we visited the “Barbary Apes of Gibraltar”. Macaque (ma-cock) is another name for Barbary ape. Apes are well, really just monkeys without a tail. Gorillas, baboons and chimpanzees are all examples of apes. Personally I can’t tell the difference, no matter how many times people tell me that apes and monkeys are different. Truth is out, being near wild monkeys who can and will if you let them touch you, slap you, steal from you or bite you is a very scary thing. These apes watch you carefully and try and unzip your backpacks and purses to get the food or shiny objects inside. Photographers beware! We heard that there is a pile of broken cameras over a cliff that the apes have grabbed and thrown away.
Before I was near the apes, I was so excited that I wanted a monkey on my shoulder. Now that I have seen them up close, I would not get a monkey within half a foot of me…again. Maybe I would, if someone I knew was with me and I was in a safe area.
When we were visiting the simian’s den, one curious monkey found a coke can. We called this ape “Coke”. He loved to hold it upside down. It really started to be funny, when he realized that he could eat or should I say lick the drops of coke that came out when he held it upside down. Then he accidentally dropped it and another ape saw it and grabbed it. This new ape was the one who made you roar with laughter. We called him ‘Cola’. Cola was the one who held on to the can as though it was his prized possession. Have you ever seen an ape jump from branch to branch …holding on to a coke can? It was quite funny to watch. Later Cola lost interest and so did other apes. I don’t think Coke cared much about anymore either.
Another time a baby ape and its mother went up to a big gruff guy also the dad. I named him “The Big Gruff Guy”. The mother started eating bugs off The Big Gruff Guy. The baby came and sat beside The Big Gruff Guy and WHACK! The baby’s dad hit him! Instinctively the baby quickly jumped to the other side of the wall and started screaming his head off. I really felt so sorry for him. He was also the jumpiest ape that I ever saw. Later his dad went down to a lower part and his mother followed, but his mother took a route that had to go down a building from the roof. Being young he needed to follow his mother…but he couldn’t get down off the roof! He eventually had to jump. It was quite a distance to jump for such a small ape…it was even big for a larger ape. It was like “Super flying baby monkey”.
Just today, I bought a monkey souvenir. He’s really soft and he does not sing or squeal and thank goodness for that. He’s even got Velcro on his hands and feet. Right now he is hanging around my neck. His name is (the most original name for a monkey) ‘Monkee’. Sadly he has a tail, unlike the macaques on Gibraltar Rock. I love ‘Monkee’.
Our day visiting the Barbary Apes of Gibraltar was exciting and a bit scary. It was weird to see wild apes that were not behind glass. I would go back and visit them in an instant.
Before I was near the apes, I was so excited that I wanted a monkey on my shoulder. Now that I have seen them up close, I would not get a monkey within half a foot of me…again. Maybe I would, if someone I knew was with me and I was in a safe area.
When we were visiting the simian’s den, one curious monkey found a coke can. We called this ape “Coke”. He loved to hold it upside down. It really started to be funny, when he realized that he could eat or should I say lick the drops of coke that came out when he held it upside down. Then he accidentally dropped it and another ape saw it and grabbed it. This new ape was the one who made you roar with laughter. We called him ‘Cola’. Cola was the one who held on to the can as though it was his prized possession. Have you ever seen an ape jump from branch to branch …holding on to a coke can? It was quite funny to watch. Later Cola lost interest and so did other apes. I don’t think Coke cared much about anymore either.
Another time a baby ape and its mother went up to a big gruff guy also the dad. I named him “The Big Gruff Guy”. The mother started eating bugs off The Big Gruff Guy. The baby came and sat beside The Big Gruff Guy and WHACK! The baby’s dad hit him! Instinctively the baby quickly jumped to the other side of the wall and started screaming his head off. I really felt so sorry for him. He was also the jumpiest ape that I ever saw. Later his dad went down to a lower part and his mother followed, but his mother took a route that had to go down a building from the roof. Being young he needed to follow his mother…but he couldn’t get down off the roof! He eventually had to jump. It was quite a distance to jump for such a small ape…it was even big for a larger ape. It was like “Super flying baby monkey”.
Just today, I bought a monkey souvenir. He’s really soft and he does not sing or squeal and thank goodness for that. He’s even got Velcro on his hands and feet. Right now he is hanging around my neck. His name is (the most original name for a monkey) ‘Monkee’. Sadly he has a tail, unlike the macaques on Gibraltar Rock. I love ‘Monkee’.
Our day visiting the Barbary Apes of Gibraltar was exciting and a bit scary. It was weird to see wild apes that were not behind glass. I would go back and visit them in an instant.
# posted by Anonymous @ Friday, January 20, 2006 
