Tourist issues important advice to people visiting Gibraltar | Travel News | Travel

With its pleasant climate, sandy beaches and fascinating history, Gibraltar is a popular destination for tourists.

The British oversees territory, which is around a three hour flight from the UK, tend to welcome around eight million visitors per year.

And many of them choose to head to the iconic Rock of Gibraltar. The towering limestone structure boasts breathtaking views of the Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic Ocean, and even Africa’s northern coast on clear days.

Tourists also get the opportunity to spot wild Barbary macaques, which are the only wild monkeys in Europe. However, if you are seeking out the primates, you should be very careful in doing so.

Not only is it a matter of safety, you could also be slapped with a pretty hefty fine if you break the rules.

Spaniard Maria Canova experienced the macaques’ unpredictability during her visit to Gibraltar – and had some words of warning for others planning their own trips.

In a viral TikTok video, watched nearly two million times, Maria was filmed seemingly offering a monkey a plastic water bottle at the popular tourist spot. However, she quickly became the centre of attention as several monkeys leapt onto her back and tugged at her hair.

Amid the chaos, she could be heard pleading for assistance, saying: “Honey, take it off. Honey, please, take it off, it’s biting me. Honey, please! Come down, please – this one thinks I’m a vine. Oh, my goodness! For God’s sake!”

The video went viral – with some viewers finding humour in Maria’s ordeal, as one user admitted: “I haven’t stopped laughing in 2 hours.”

But others took the opportunity to caution future visitors about the macaques’ behaviour. One commenter said: “They are there to be seen but not touched. We must respect the animals; they are protected by the government of Gibraltar.”

Another said: “I went there as a child and I won’t go back. It seems very dangerous to me and if they bite, they’ll hit you like crazy. A third person said: “When I was 15, they told us specifically that it was forbidden to touch them, give them food, and drink to avoid everything that happened to you.”

When asked about whether people should visit Gibraltar, Maria replied: “It has cool buildings and beaches, but we went to see the Rock and the lair, and video and laughter aside, the monkeys are in their home, and if you don’t get close they won’t do anything to you and you see them in freedom.”

The monkeys in question, known as the Barbary Macaques, were believed to have been brought to Gibraltar by the Moors between 700 and 1492.

Legend has it that as long as the macaques remain on the Rock, Gibraltar will remain British.

Tourists like Maria are cautioned against interacting with these creatures as they are wild animals. Feeding the macaques outside of designated nature reserves is also against the law, with fines up to £4,000 as the punishment.