THE INCREDIBLE TREE CLIMBING 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 the Moroccan Arbor still tends to attract admirers thanks in large part to the hordes of goats that can usually be found perching in them. Grown almost exclusively in Morocco, the Argania is a rare and protected species after years of over farming and clear cutting. The tree produces an annual fruit crop. It is this delicious morsel that attracts legions of local goats who hop up into the branches to pick them out. It is a sight to behold as 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 large numbers. 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 of 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 up all the Argania trees and will leave some on which they can comfortably perch in.