Meet the Incredible Tree-Climbing Goats of Morocco!

As you drive from Marrakech to the coastal town of Essaouira, you’ll come across a rather peculiar sight. One that you may not have seen anywhere else. Goats on trees. Yes, you read that right. Not one but over half a dozen goats on one tree!

The dusty and terracotta-hued South West of Morrocco, popularly hailed as ‘Argan Country’, is home to thousands of rare Argania trees, that are almost exclusively found in Morocco. These gangly, gnarly trees with thorny, crooked branches attract hordes of goat that love feeding on its annual fruit. Every year when the fruits ripen in June, these unafraid goats effortlessly scamper to the top of these 30-feet-tall trees to feast on the Argan fruit.

Over time, these surefooted goats have not only mastered the art of climbing the trees but also balancing on its precarious branches. They even hop from one branch to another!

In any other place, farmers would be troubled by goats eating away the fruits of their trees. But not here. The small and firm Argan fruit hides an almond shaped seed within it. For centuries, Moroccans have been extracting the much sought-after Argan oil from these seeds, rich with vitamin E and antioxidants. Traditionally, this oil is used for skin treatments and cooking. With excellent results in skin and hair treatments, this nutritious oil has taken the western beauty industry by storm in the past few decades, with a quarter liter bottle costing as high as $50!

But removing the seed from the fruit is rather laborious. This is where the goats ‘help’ the farmers. Once the goat eats the fruit, it excretes the whole seed as is. The farmers then harvest these seeds to make Argan oil.

As the demand for argan oil increased, farmers encouraged and brought more goats to eat the argan fruit. Although this makes the oil extraction process less labor intensive, it has caused a decline in the health of the Argania trees. Besides, not everyone is comfortable consuming oil made from seeds pooped out by goats! Off late, a few women’s cooperatives are manually gathering fruits from the trees to make argan oil intended for export.

While the goats are fans of the Argania trees, travelers from far and wide have become fans of these tree-climbing goats and come looking for them. Such attention from travelers has given the farmers an added reason to make an extra buck or two. So, don’t be surprised if a farmer charges you a few measly Moroccan dirhams (1MD = 10 American cents) to click some photos.

And finally, just because we can’t get over how cute these little acrobatic creatures look dotting the Argania trees, here are a few more photos!