Reacción a "Gibraltar macaques might ingest soil to mitigate digestive discomfort caused by food provided by tourists"

This is a very interesting study that examines geophagy, or the consumption of soil—a behaviour known in various animal species in the wild as a way to obtain nutrients required for their diet. It is also well established that some species consume soil to alleviate gastrointestinal problems arising from the ingestion of toxins or compounds that may irritate the digestive tract, or even during episodes of gastrointestinal parasitism. In other words, geophagy can function as a form of ‘ethnomedicinal’ relief for digestive discomfort.

What is particularly interesting about this study is that it shows Barbary macaques on the Rock of Gibraltar using geophagy to counteract the harmful effects associated with consuming ultra-processed foods provided by tourists. This is highly significant, as it highlights the detrimental consequences of tourists feeding wildlife with human ultra-processed foods. These are foods designed to exploit our evolutionary mechanisms to generate a sense of reward when consumed, as they are rich in calories, salt, saturated fats and simple sugars, yet they do not provide balanced or adequate nutrition.

Beyond demonstrating that such foods can be harmful to humans when consumed in large quantities, the article underscores that they may also be harmful to other wildlife. It emphasises the importance of educating tourists not to feed wild or semi-wild animals, particularly with foods that may be detrimental to their health. This aspect should be fully integrated into awareness campaigns aimed at tourists in order to ensure safe and sustainable coexistence with wildlife. Moreover, it is well known that animals provisioned by humans often develop dependency, which can lead to further coexistence issues, including increased aggression and territorial behaviour, sometimes even resulting in attacks on people.

Overall, this study highlights the risks associated with ultra-processed foods, underlines the importance of appropriate human behaviour when engaging in wildlife tourism, and illustrates the remarkable behavioural flexibility of primates. The fact that such behaviours may spread through cultural transmission further reinforces this point.