Goats in Trees - Morocco

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4 years ago
In community: Zone of photography(0ff0)

Whilst travelling from Marrakech to Essaouira on a recent visit to Morocco, we came across this fascinating display of goats in trees. Yes, you read correctly…goats in trees! Apparently goats climb the Argan tree (Argania Spinosa) which is endemic to south western parts of Morocco. The goats love to eat the fruit of the argan tree and in order to get to the argan fruit, they obviously need to climb into the tree. And that is how they end up in the tree. Since the Argan tree does not bear fruit all year round, some of the goats are placed in the trees as a tourist attraction during the off-season. 

Just as an aside, the fruit of the Argan tree is harvested for the nuts which contains seed that is rich in oil. The goats facilitate this process by eating the fruit and pooping out the nuts, which are not digested by the goats system. The poop is gathered and the nuts are extracted and cracked open to reveal the seed. This is obviously not the only way that the nuts are harvested. It is a labour intensive process to extract the oil from the seed. The oil is used in cosmetic products and for culinary purposes and is quite expensive. The tour guides stop on route at the various places where they do the extraction and make products. There is no such thing as cheap argan oil. If it’s cheap, it's probably diluted or mixed with something else.

My wife, Nazli, holding a goat!

We found the tree climbing goats fascinating and cute. I hope that you enjoy the pics.

Thanks for reading.

All photographs in this post have been taken by me.

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Avatar for thaabit
Written by
4 years ago
In community: Zone of photography(0ff0)

Comments

I read the following about it some time ago:

An investigation by Aaron Gekoski, a British environmentalist photographer, has uncovered that the tourist destination seems to be an exploitative scam.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/04/23/goat-true-morocco-tourist-site-goats-climb-tree-exploitative/

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User's avatar Telesfor
4 years ago

Thanks for your comment Telesfor. I read the article too, but he uses emotive words to describe what he observed. As I've indicated in my post, the Argan tree does not produce fruit all year round, so to keep the tourists attracted, they place the goats in the trees during the off season. The goats do indeed climb the trees for the fruit otherwise. Gekoski does not refute that goats climb the Argan tree for its fruit. He's article is more about animal cruelty, which I dare say his content is very thin on.
A tourist attraction by its very nature is meant to attract tourists for commercial purposes, i.e. to make money. So to call it an "exploitative scam" is disingenuous and for the purpose of sensationalism. Those people are trying to make an honest living by giving the tourist an opportunity to see a spectacle all-year round; and if they can make a buck from it, why not. They don't rob you, like they do on the streets of New York where they, for example, draw you into guessing under which bottle top a pea is...which is illegal. I had not observed any ill treatment of the goats. There's really nothing to uncover there. If you don't want a photo with the goats, then don't take one. On the other hand, if you want a photo with a goat or climb the tree and pay for the opportunity, then by all means go for it...the trip would have costed you a load of bucks anyway. The whole transaction is consensual...no scam. If you think that it's not worth it, then walk away. It's really a fun experience and a curiosity that is worthwhile observing. We enjoyed it thoroughly and didn't observe any ill treatment. It's clean fun! So Telesfor, if you want to experience it, then by all means go ahead. You will enjoy it, if that is your thing. Thanks for your comment.

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User's avatar thaabit
4 years ago

Thanks for the full explanation. I have never been to Morocco before, but I communicated on memo with some people from Morocco. I don't know if you can call it scam or not, but when I read your article I remembered it. Maybe I'll go after Corona to Morocco and check it out.

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User's avatar Telesfor
4 years ago

You will love it! It is intriguing and interesting, and offers quite a bit for the photographer’s eye. Thank you for the tip! Much appreciated.

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User's avatar thaabit
4 years ago

Great

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User's avatar Kris2310
4 years ago

Thank you Kris for your appreciation! Stay safe.

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User's avatar thaabit
4 years ago

Beautifull

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User's avatar Amanagurus
4 years ago

Thank you for your appreciation.

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User's avatar thaabit
4 years ago

I have a friend who has goats, and he did not want to believe that he had seen a program on TV that the goats were climbing trees, now with his photos I am going to check it. Thank you.

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User's avatar ceciliarey
4 years ago

Thank you for your comment. I’m glad that you found the photos helpful.

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User's avatar thaabit
4 years ago

Poor thing those goats haveny found something to eat in that tree. But they look adorable.

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User's avatar Ching13
4 years ago

I agree with you that they are adorable! Since it appears that there are no more fruit in the trees, they are fed by the people on the ground. Thank you for the comment.

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User's avatar thaabit
4 years ago

I'll subscribe to see more of this article sir.

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User's avatar Ching13
4 years ago

Thank you.

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User's avatar thaabit
4 years ago

Thos are cute goats and are fascinating! I've read about goats climbing trees and rocky mountains. This article is interesting because it informs that this goats play a vital role in the production of argan oil. Haven't heard of it yet. Very nice article! I'm hoping to read more of this.

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User's avatar Winona
4 years ago

Thank you Winona for your appreciative comment. I’m glad that you enjoyed the article. Take care and stay safe.

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User's avatar thaabit
4 years ago
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