Goats in a Tree in Morocco

While you’ll see goats in the trees in different areas of Morocco, we found ours on the road between Marrakesh and Essaouira. The goats climb the thorny Argan trees whose fruit contains a small nut used to make the Argan oil prized in cooking and cosmetics. Although the animals can actually climb trees, they are brought to the Argans by farmers who want them to devour the Argan fruit. The goats eat the pulp of the fruit but can’t digest the small nuts, which then pass through its digestive system. Once out of the goat, the nuts are gathered by the farmers for sale in the market where they’re prized because the goat’s digestive system is said to soften the nut. As you might expect, Moroccan farmers also make an additional income charging tourists to take photos of their animals.