Reserve work improves macaques’ access to water and food

THE Rock’s famous macaques will have better access to freshwater and food, thanks to work in parts of the Gibraltar Nature Reserve recently unveiled by the Minister for the Environment, John Cortes.
The improvements include the clearing of undergrowth to open up foraging grounds, the provision of shaded feeding areas, as well as the creation of five natural ponds in key sites within the reserve at Apes’ Den, Prince Phillip’s Arch, Middle Hill, Royal Anglian Way and Rock Gun.
It’s all part of the wider Macaque Management Plan, to be published later in 2015, which aims to reinforce natural foraging behaviour amongst the monkeys, while also encouraging them to stay out of built-up, human habitats.
The plan will be matched by increased resources for the Macaque Management Team, according to the Gibraltar government.