The Tree Goats of Morocco

The Argania tree is not the most aesthetically pleasing plant in

the world with a rough, thorny bark and gangly, crooked
branches. But these Moroccan trees still tend to attract
admirers, thanks in large part to the hordes of goats that can
usually be found perching in them.

Grown almost exclusively in Sous Valley in southwestern Morocco, the Argania

is a rare and protected species after years of over-farming and clear-cutting. The
tree produces an annual fruit crop, and it is this delicious morsel that attracts
legions of local goats who hop up into the branches to pick out the fruit. These
memorable rural scenes mostly happen in June when the Argan fruit ripen.
Like an image out of a goat-cast wire-fu film, the animals stand on the
impossibly precarious branches and get down to their seasonal feast. Far from
just a single ambitious goat climbing a single tree, the animals tend to swarm
into the branches in number.

Local farmers condone and even cultivate this bizarre feeding practice, keeping
the goats away from the trees while the fruit matures and releasing them at the
right time. There is also a secondary benefit to the goats’ habits which is found
in their poop. After the goats finish eating the fruit and nuts off the tree, they
pass valuable clumps of seeds which are then pressed to create the sought-after
Argan oil.
Unfortunately, since the tree goats can be quite profitable for their owners, more
and more of them have been brought into the area, causing a general decline in
the health of the remaining Argania trees. Hopefully, the delightful tree goats
won’t eat themselves out of a tree to perch in.

Know Before You Go

Although it is illegal, scammers will tie goats all day to the trees in the hot sun
hoping to elicit money from you when you stop for pictures. If this happens,
leave immediately. It's the only way to send the message that animal
cruelty doesn't pay.