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Considered as a unique species, the Barbary Macaque monkeys that live in the Atlas Mountains of the Kingdom are in danger according to an article released by AFP. Interviewing Ahmed Harrad, a deputy director at the Barbary Macaque Conservation in the Rif association, the French news agency warns : «If nothing is done, this species will disappear within 10 years».
The Barbary is the only macaque species distributed outside Asia. Numbers show that these monkeys are in danger faced with environmental changes and human interactions. «Conservationists blame illegal poaching, tourists who feed the monkeys and overexploitation of the cedar and oak forests that form the species' natural habitat», the same source points out.
«Morocco is home to between 3,000 and 10,000 macaques today, compared with 17,000 three decades ago», AFP wrote referring to the studies conducted by scientists interested in the extinction of the breed. The danger surrounding the lives of these animals is also connected to tourists who feed Macaques and contribute in affecting negatively their health. Moreover, buying these monkeys as pets also affects their productivity, reports Harrad.
Efforts have been made to save the Barbary Macaque monkeys and protect them. Anouar Jaoui , director of Talassemtane National Park in northern Morocco told AFP that the conservation strategy adopted to rescue these animals is based on «rehabilitating and rebuilding the species’ habitat».
