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2015: a great year so far
We've had a very exciting few months - we can't wait to share our news with you!
With the expansion of our social media to include a YouTube channel, some very generous support through our Amazon wish list and some great news from our initiatives in Morocco, 2015 is going very well for BMAC so far. Read below to find out more and see the monkey videos that are getting people enthused about Barbary macaques and their babies.
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We often capture video content when we're in the field, but until recently we hadn't been able to edit or share it. All that has now changed and we're very pleased to have a YouTube channel with two videos uploaded so far, and more to come soon. Featuring Barbary macaque infants in Bouhachem last spring and adults stuffing their faces in the autumn, they're a great example of Barbary macaques living in the wild as they're meant to. You can watch one of the videos right here in this email, or go to our channel here to see them all. Don't forget to subscribe so that you'll know straight away when we add more! We'll soon be uploading some interviews with our field staff and some sneak peek clips of our beautiful conservation and education centre in Bouhachem.
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It was a busy weekend for the BMAC team on the 13th and 14th of March, as they took part in an awareness-raising event in Tetouan. The reaction of the public was, as always, favourable and they very much appreciated reading accurate, interesting information about the Barbary macaque and BMAC's conservation work. Ahmed explained our work to interested individuals and Kenza supervised an activity for the children, which was so popular that it had to be expanded to extra tables. Great work team!
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Our survey work in the region near Talassemtane National Park continues, and Ahmed and Kenza were recently able to get some photos of the macaques that frequent the canyon near Akchour. We're very excited to have a visual record of these monkeys, who eke out a living on what look, from a distance, to be almost uninhabitable cliffs. We are looking forward to having the entire team back in the field in April and May so that we can cover more ground and everyone can see the macaques for themselves.
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We love hearing from our supporters, so remember to keep in touch on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts! You can also contact us at bmacaque@gmail.com or info@barbarymacaque.org.
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One of the things that holds us back in our work is the availability of funds to buy new equipment for our team in the field. Most of the donations we receive go directly to the running costs for our conservation initiatives, so there is little spare for things like binoculars, memory cards or walking boots. To this end, we recently set up an Amazon wish list in the hope of receiving some items we're most in need of, and we're very happy to report that generous donors are already helping us out. Chloe Banks bought us two memory cards for our camera, Thomas Maunders bought new walking boots for Kenza and Ahmed Nuino has purchased the projector that will help us make our presentations in schools around Morocco so much clearer. If you would like to join Chloe, Thomas and Ahmed in supporting us with items for use in the field, you can check out the wish list here.
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Also on the 15th of March, the BMAC team participated in a litter picking event organised by the group Sauvons Akchour. Akchour is a very popular tourist destination at this time of year, but unfortunately, visitors are not very considerate about where they leave their litter. Litter is a threat to wildlife and so the BMAC team wanted to support the event. We used the Monkey Bus to transport the full sacks of litter to the Tetouan rubbish dump. If you ever visit Akchour, please be sure to take your rubbish home with you and dispose of it appropriately so that it can't harm any wildlife.
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Back by popular demand for 2015 is our Be a Conservationist for a Day programme. For a unique opportunity to make your trip to Morocco even more memorable and contribute to Barbary macaque conservation, you can join us as we monitor macaque study groups, count newly born infants, and catch up with some of our local macaque monitors, the Bouhachem Shepherds. This opportunity is only available between April & mid June, and we take only 2-3 people at once, giving you exclusive time to ask the team all the questions you want and get the best view of the macaques from the windows of our Monkey Bus. The fee of €100.00 per person includes lunch & refreshments during the day, plus transport to and from your hotel, with the rest going directly to our conservation work. You can contact us at info@barbarymacaque.org for more information, availability and booking. We look forward to seeing you in the field and telling you all about the monkeys and our initiatives in person.
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