JULY 10,
2019
A wild group
of endangered Barbary macaques have been observed, for the first time,
"consoling" and adopting an injured juvenile from a neighbouring
group. The observations by a scientist from Oxford University and the
International Fund for Animal Welfare (ifaw) are published today in the
journal Primates.
'Pipo', a
nearly three-year-old juvenile, was seriously injured and became separated from
his group following a road traffic accident.
He was found
distressed and alone two days later by a neighbouring Barbary macaque group.
Although these monkeys had no social relationship with Pipo, they approached,
groomed and affiliated with him, and accepted him into their group. Pipo made a
full recovery and stayed with them for four months until returning to his own
group.
The
observation in Ifrane National Park in the Middle Atlas Mountains of
Morocco—one of the Barbary macaque's last
remaining areas of habitation—provides valuable information and offers hope to
researchers and local communities who are trying to safeguard and boost
the endangered
species,
which is under threat following habitat loss and poaching.
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