Gibraltar
NOT TO BE MISSED Having a monkey on your head isn’t the typical experience in Gibraltar. I’ve been back more than once and have enjoyed watching the Gibraltar monkeys play around, look for food and pose for photos. Well, maybe they weren’t actually posing, but it sure looked like they knew what was going on. The Mediterranean is filled with so many marvellous experiences. Every time I leave, I’m left wanting more and always adding to my wish list of what to do next (or to do again), and visiting the Gibraltar monkeys is always on the list.
The park itself is rather unique in the various purposes it serves, from rehabilitating native wildlife to housing and caring for exotic species that are confiscated by customs or have become unwanted pets, including the cotton-topped tamarin from Colombia, lemurs from Madagascar, the Indian peafowl, Vietnamese pigs, Amazon parrots, soft-shelled turtles and more. The gardens, which opened to the public in 1816, are home to some beautiful flora. There are native species like the Stone Pine and wild olive trees as well as imported plants and trees like the fascinating Dragon Tree. The Dragon Tree is native to the Canary Islands (and neighbours like Madeira) and is known for its smooth grey bark and blood red resin. There are multiple trees in the park that predate its establishment, some by as much as a hundred years.
GIBRALTAR BOTANICAL GARDENS
COTTON-TOPPED TAMARIN
INDIAN PEAFOWL
LEMUR
DRAGON TREE
60
Powered by FlippingBook