Wildlife experts urge tourists to stop feeding Gibraltar's macaques junk food

Wildlife experts are urging tourists to stop feeding Gibraltar's famous macaques, as research reveals the monkeys have started eating soil in response. Every year, millions of toursits flock to Gibraltar to see barbary macaques, which live on the famous Rock of Gibraltar. While holidaymakers are advised to keep their distance from the monkeys, many ignore the rules, and lure the animals in with chocolate, crisps, and ice creams. Now, a study has revealed the desperate steps the monkeys are taking to self–medicate themselves against these junk foods. Researchers from the University of Cambridge have discovered macaques munching on soil, in a practice known as 'geophagy'. The soil helps to soothe the monkey's stomachs by providing the bacteria and minerals that areabsent from junk food.