Goats In Trees, to the tune of Girls on Film by Duran Duran!
I don’t know why that song came into my head. Anyway, it gave me an earworm for the rest of the day.
I’d read about goats in trees in Morocco long before I visited the country. On this recent trip which is my second time here, I’d actually forgotten about wanting to see the goats.
Why are there goats in trees in Morocco?
The landscape is pretty desert-like and not much else grows for the goats to graze on, so they naturally climb the trees to eat the argan fruit. Only they can’t digest all the fruit. The seeds (the nut) of the argan fruit pass through the goats’ digestive system and out the other end!
Have you heard of Argan Oil?
It’s used in cosmetics, some shampoo, conditioner, and various other lotions and potions <—- these really aren’t my thing, and I’m smiling as I’m typing this as I wonder how many of you knew that what you may be washing your hair with or rubbing on your face might be from the arse-end of a goat! My sense of humour, but I digress.
The nuts are picked out of the goats’ plop and often transported to a women’s cooperative where they are made into argan oil. See the short video below.
Back to the point of this post…
So, I was amused at the quirkiness of it all when I first saw the goats out of the car window when travelling from Marrakech to Essaouira. Just standing aimlessly in trees at the side of the road.
They weren’t just standing aimlessly though, they were deliberately put there.
Our driver pulled up at the side of the road so we could take some photos of the goats in trees. I eagerly jumped out camera poised, then realised… many of the goats were standing on manmade wooden platforms away from being able to eat the fruits of the tree.
The goats were there only for the benefit of tourists, as props to make the goatherds a few extra dirhams in tips.
I’ll admit, I took one photo. It’s the photo shown in this post and is intended to draw awareness to the goats’ plight. I didn’t tip the goatherd. The intention of this post is to educate and encourage others not to stop to take photos. In my opinion, it is cruel to winch or carry the goats up a tree where they are left to stand in the sun and heat without access to food or water. How would you like it?
It is true, the goats do climb the trees on their own to eat the fruit of the argan tree. But I don’t believe this is the case here. The part of the tree was barren, stripped of all leaves and fruit, and facing the road in full view of passing traffic (read tourists) and tourists equal extra money.
Furthermore, the fruit ripens in June, not in November. There is no natural reason for the goats to be up there at this time of year. In fact, the seeds of the argan fruit are big business in Morocco, and it isn’t in the interest of the goatherds for the goats to eat the unripened fruit.
Proving the only reason the goats are in trees at this time of year is to earn extra money from tips.
I am not against anyone trying to earn a living or a little extra, but when it involves unnecessary suffering and cruelty to animals then I most certainly am. Don’t stop for photos, don’t tip.
Where to find goats in trees in Morocco naturally.
It is possible to see goats in trees in Morocco naturally. They are found in southwest Morocco, but also in parts of Algeria. Go away from the main roads and tourist routes. The best time to see the goats would be in late spring and early summer when the fruit is ripe, and to go in the morning before it gets too hot.