Morocco: Tell Tourists to Stop Feeding These Endangered Monkeys

Feeding endangered Barbary macaques in Morocco's Ifrane National Park is unregulated and commonplace, but a new study published in PLOS One says it's time to stop the monkey business.

The researchers discovered that tourists feeding the endangered monkeys was deteriorating their fitness and welfare. For instance, macaques fed by tourists experienced lower birth rates, higher death rates, more susceptibility to disease and injury, overweight body sizes and more alopecia (hair loss) probably from stress.

Barbary macaques definitely don't need more stress. According to the IUCN Red List, the endangered monkeys have declined over 50 percent in the last 24 years. Habitat loss and degradation (via logging, clearing for and by livestock, etc.) are crippling the species. They're also heavily persecuted (often by farmers trying to protect their crops), hunted by feral dogs, hurt by pollution and popular in the live pet trade.

Sign and share this petition urging Moroccan leaders to better inform tourists of the dangers of feeding the monkeys and to offer more protection to the Barbary macaques.

Photo Credit: David Dennis