Goats that climb trees.As soon as I heard about this, I knew that I had to see it for myself. These goats are an unusual feature and minor tourist attraction in Morocco and I decided that we couldn’t leave the country without seeing them – that was my mission. The goats are only found in south western Morocco in an area between Agadir and Essouiara.  They have adapted to the harsh climate in which food is scarce by doing what it takes to find things to eat. In this case climbing the Argan tree in search of the leaves and berries. The goats are now really adept at tree-climbing and branch hopping, making for one the more curious sights in the animal kingdom.

Tree-climbing Goats

To see the goats we decided to hire a car in Agadir. At the rental agency we asked where we would be most likely to find the goats in trees, the helpful agent got a map and indicated a road. We headed off and sure enough after a spell along this road we saw a herd. We pulled over and I got out with my camera. The goat herders are obviously used to tourists in wanting a ‘goats in trees’ photo and they herded the goats down the hill towards us. The goats obliged us by doing their thing – looking for food and nimbly climbing up the trees, trotting along branches and balancing whilst eating.

I was captivated! They really do climb and are agile with it, balancing on branches and even butting other goats off. After 10 minutes or so of goat watching, I gave the herder a small tip and we got back in the car and headed back to Agadir. Mission Accomplished!