The Barbary Macaque population in Gibraltar is the last in the whole of the European continent, which, unlike that of North Africa, is thriving. At present there are some 230 animals in five troops occupying the area of the Upper Rock, though occasional forays into the town result in monkey mayhem. Because they are a tailless species, they are also known locally as Barbary Apes or Rock Apes despite the fact that they are monkeys (Macaca sylvanus).
A popular belief holds that as long as Barbary Macaques exist on Gibraltar, the territory will remain under British rule. In 1942 (during World War II), after the population dwindled to just a handful of individuals (just seven monkeys), British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill ordered that their numbers be replenished immediately from forest fragments in both Morocco and Algeria due to this traditional belief.
A story tells that Gibraltar is linked to Africa by a subterranean passage over 15 miles (24 km) which begins at Lower St. Michael's Cave long under the Strait of Gibraltar. Legend has it that the Barbary Macaques entered The Rock from Morocco this way. (more...)