GIBRALTAR (Text & Photo: GibChronicle) Tourists flocked around these monkeys on Main Street yesterday, ignoring warnings that they were wild animals with a vicious bite. At one point a man pushing a small child in a pram reached down to feed a large male ape, disregarding locals who were urging him to stay away. Around him, Spanish teenagers on a school visit tossed crisps and screamed with delight as the primates rushed in to snatch them up. Feeding monkeys is not just dangerous, it is also a criminal offence punishable with a fine. Not only that, but it is bad for the primates. There is a general misconception that the monkeys roam into town because they are hungry. In fact, they are fed a diet of fruits, vegetables and grain twice a day. They also forage on natural plants and insects. But unauthorised feeding encourages them to seek out sugary foods, with the same detrimental effect as overindulgence has in humans.
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