Some of this research has now been published in a scientific journal, the Proceedings of the Royal Society, and reported in the more popular wildlife press. The August issue of the popular BBC Wildlife Magazine summarises the results of some aspects of three years worth of research on the Rock by Stuart Semple of the University of Sussex.
This work was on the copulation calls of female Barbary macaques. Barbary macaque females call out when they are being mated, and Stuart Semple’s work suggests that this may be to promote competition between rival males so that the female ensures she is fertilised by the best quality male.
GONHS says it is pleased that the research programme on the Barbary macaque continues apace, with another student recently completing a four month project and field course of nine students from Zurich arriving at the end of August.
The Ape-loving techniques up the Rock, and the population explosion among our Most Important Animals, ensures that Gibraltar remains British, given what the legend says!
There are more apes than at any time in living memory, estimates saying we are fast approaching the 300 mark.
As a result a great debate is going on in apish circles as to what extermination methods to apply. Are so many apes good for the species?
The more the number of apes, the more the likelihood of apes breaking up into more packs.
The standard practice was to have the "domesticated" pack at Queen's gate and the wilder lot at Middle Hill. Now the Princess Caroline contingent have become human-friendly and you see them there every day.
It is now said that the apes have split into seven packs, each with a Don Juan as leader, but splinter groups are not being ruled out, as the up and coming younger ones threaten the dominance of the leader of the pack.
Says Dr John Cortes: There are now too many of them for the size of the Upper Rock... they are starting to be aggresive to each other and there are signs of stress.
The ape population doubling every five years, so the number could reach 1000 mark before long
Should the apes be culled? That is the question everybody wants to answer.
The experts have been looking at contraceptives... or humane culling by using blow pipes to put them to sleep... or lethal injection... or shooting them as in years gone by.
Whatever we do, numbers must be kept sufficiently high. That legend is taken very seriously...
The decision has caused great concern in La Linea, as well as surprise, as people got to know without coming through an official order published in the Spanish official gazette.
All political groups there have shown their displeasure at the decision by Madrid.
La Linea Mayor Fernandez Pons says he will object to his town’s lacking of importance. He wants the decision changed.
With the post of administrator disappearing, all important administrative matters will in future be handled in Algeciras.
The La Linea socialists also want the order revoked, saying it is a lack of respect for La Linea and its inhabitants. They also criticise the way the decision has been taken, without any consultation of any kind.
Jose Luis Viller, spokesman for the Andalusian party, recalls the controversy in La Linea over what the Spanish foreign ministry official said during a recent visit to La Linea, arguing that what the ruling Partido Popular wants is to close the frontier "even if they now say it is only an administrative decision."
They totally oppose the decision and repudiate the policy of the Spanish Government towards Gibraltar.
The La Linea left see the measure as representing a gradual closure of the frontier. They argue that the La Linea frontier is of "great importance", and accuse Madrid of promising one thing and then doing something else.
Meanwhile, a Spanish foreign ministry spokesman said the decision was purely administrative. The idea is to eliminate the La Linea aduana but to make it part of Algeciras which is more important.
"The measure has nothing to do with the Spanish claim to Gibraltar," he said.
He then went on to make the absurd statement that the reason for it is the Single European Market and the disappearance of fiscal frontiers, when Gibraltar is retride the European customs union.
Campo politicians are not convinced about the reasons being given by Madrid.
Former Mancommunidad chairman Joe Carracao wants to mobilize the La Linea council, the Mancommunidad and palamentarians.
A socialist MP said that "someone is lying".
It is clear that La Linea gets treated worse than a colony! In Gibraltar we complain about certain decisions but generally there is an element of consultation etc. Can anyone imagine what it would be like if Gibraltar were part of Spain?
In an after lunch speech, the Chief Minister, Peter Caruana, spoke highly of Mgr. Zammit and thanked him for coming to the assistance of the Church in Gibraltar when he was very much needed. The gist of Mgr. Zammit’s response can be summarised in very few words. He said that whilst in Gibraltar he used to go home to Malta for his holidays. Now that he is returning to Malta, we could expect him to come home to Gibraltar for holidays!
Mgr. Zammit came to Gibraltar in 1976, that is 22 years ago, when he was 26 years old. Bishop Mercieca of Malta had on several occasions since wished him to return to Malta, but this had been successively put off because it was accepted that he was needed in Gibraltar as there was no other priest qualified in Canon Law and his services were therefore required in the diocese’s marriage tribunal. Now that Father Pardo has graduated in Canon Law, his return to Malta to carry on doing the same kind of work, could not be delayed any further.
Mgr. Zammit, an intelligent and very kind person, and yet very unpretentious and humble, will be very missed.
The Chief Minister presented him with a print of Gibraltar suitably engraved. It is clearly a question of Malta’s gain being Gibraltar’s loss.
Friday 14th August Marina Bay Arts & Crafts market, from 7 pm to midnight.
Saturday 15th August Marina Bay Arts & Crafts market, from noom to 6pm.
Saturday 15th August Guardmount at the Convent.
Anda que mi querido Juan has found a solution. He watches el GBC news, y se queda frito.
What an excellent idea! The truth is que los local news en el televisho have never been so boring, to the extent that my Charlie - who was a news fanatic - all he does now is check the headlines.
Cuando we watch los news on other channels, they are so lively. Con los de GBC entra dormilera, with a few exceptions such as when Gerard does an interview.
And what it costs the taxpaper, mas de un millon de panaeras al año every year. Y con mas gente que un regimiento.
Vamos a ver si el Governation comes up with an imaginative formula to solve this problem.
I would name a Board of Inquiry con el spin doctor al frente.
If you ask me, lo que hace falta es un witch doctor!
I mean, se nio podemos arreglar ni el problema de las pavanas. It gets better only cuando se van a su tanita. But they'll come back antes que me coma una ropia.