Nijma asked me the other day if goats climb trees. They do, although most are not as extreme as this Moroccan herd:
You can see more of them in this video.
The Moroccan herds only climb one sort of tree and they do it because they’re especially fond of its fruit. The tree is the Argan, which grows up to 10 metres high. Its thorny, twisted branches make it fairly easy for goats to climb (unfortunately you can’t see this in the video, they are only jumping out). The fruit is supposed to be ‘similar to an olive’, though I’m not sure how.
The farmers — Berbers of the Sous valley in S.W. Morocco — follow their goats from tree to tree, collecting the nut inside the fruit, which the goats spit out or excrete. The kernels are ground up to make argan oil which is used for cooking and in cosmetics. More about the Argan tree at Wikipedia.
Update.
By a tremendous coincidence there is an article about goats in trees and argan oil in today’s Dagbladet, a Norwegian daily newspaper. Even if you don’t understand the text, the pictures are worth looking at. Saturday 25 April 2009.
A Bad Guide 
Amazing. I’ve been hearing a lot about argan oil in the foodie-world, but never acquired it was made in this manner! Thank video is great.
Jim says hi. He wanted me to assure you that I’m taking good care of him.
Oh, that’s interesting. I’d never heard of it before now. Is it any good, I wonder? Maybe I’ll try to buy some here — see if the goats like it.
How did the top ones get there? I’m sure there’s a guy who put the goats up this tree before shooting. One needs hands or claws to be able to climb these narrow branches.
Oops! My first comment is to be given to the goats. Munch, munch.
Before shooting?
I think they got there by helicopter.
Amazing indeed. I am boggled.
(Collins English Dictionary.)
But also: 21. to measure the altitude of.
It could also be something like “eats, shoots and leaves”, even if they don’t really look like pandas.
When are you bringing Vesle to Morocco for exotic holidays? She will no doubt enjoy it, and learn a few tricks to be brought back home and impress her friends. But take a good insurance before, as European goats may not be as tough as African ones.
We have dog health insurance — or, at least, our dogs do — but nothing for the goats. An interesting little-known fact: it is hard to find Norwegian goat insurance.
Don’t give up, maybe you’ll find one in Morocco.
[…] April 24, 2009 — Nijma AJP Crown over at A Bad Guide has posted a remarkable picture of some Moroccan goats in a tree. The tree looks exactly like a Dr. Seuss tree. Wondering if Dr. Seuss had ever documented the goat […]
While traveling south of Tan Tan Plage on top of a truckload of oranges for El Aiun in the old Spanish Sahara (now Western Sahara) in February of 1970 I saw 3 goats in the only tree in a bare landscape, and a small boy with a stick taller than him gaping at us as we roared by.
Yes, that’s the kind of thing you never forget.
It’s good to have confirmation of this phenomenon. I only know one other person who’s actually seen it.
omg wow ma and joanna are sitting here in 5th period at Helen Bernstein High School S.T.E.M Academy in amazement
These trees are awesome it really takes you back a moment to realize how all of the cultures around the world are so different and amazing!! This is absolutely incredible!!
Kristen and Stephyboob, thanks for dropping by. I googled your school and it sounds like it’s a very good new one, I don’t know if you would agree.
The goat-trees: yes, it’s so peculiar-looking, and I think it’s great that people have figured out a way to allow tree-climbing goats to climb trees if they want to. I completely agree with you about both the trees and the cultures — I ought to have thought of that myself — the pictures really make you want to pay a visit to see more (I can say that, because I didn’t take them myself).