Political CupidJul 13, 2023
Mats Holberg 🇺🇦 🇵🇸

If you need to be delighted by something this morning, I present the tree goats of Morocco.

I was driving near Essaouira the first time I saw this and literally slammed on my brakes because I thought I was suddenly hallucinating. But then you learn how common it is and after a day or two it's, oh, yeah, more goats in trees.

Jul 12, 2023 at 1:41pmWeb
Show threadPamelaWaldmanJul 12, 2023
@Holberg I would almost consider getting on a plane for this
Show threadMats Holberg 🇺🇦 🇵🇸Jul 12, 2023
@PamW It’s remarkable. And a wonderful country, too, if that’s further incentive to get on a plane :)
Show threadKevin LeecasterJul 12, 2023
@Holberg @PamW
I'm sure hoping that this hot weather is going to soon convince people to curtail flying soon, but maybe people like the heat, idk.
Show threadBuy nothing newJul 13, 2023
@GreenFire @Holberg @PamW hahahahaha. Peeps are flying more than ever
Show threadKevin LeecasterJul 13, 2023
@princelysum @Holberg @PamW
Or are fewer people are flying more?
Show threadBuy nothing newJul 14, 2023
@GreenFire @Holberg @PamW Hmm I wonder. I also wonder what they think this means for their grandchildren
Show threadBruno GirinJul 13, 2023
@Holberg @PamW when I went to Morocco, I didn't see goats but I stayed one night in a hotel at the edge of the desert, run by a former astrophysicist who had telescopes on the roof and would give guests an intro to what you could see in the sky that night.
Show threadWhatTheChelJul 12, 2023
@Holberg Oh, wow! Now that sounds like an experience!
Show threadMats Holberg 🇺🇦 🇵🇸Jul 12, 2023
@WhatTheChel It really is! AND THEN there is also expensive argan oil that is made from seeds that have passed through their digestive systems. Which sounds so gross but actually it’s very tasty haha. (Also, Essaouira is a really stunning place to visit!)
Show threadWhatTheChelJul 12, 2023
@Holberg Wait... THAT'S how argan oil is made??? I use argan oil for its moisturizing benefits but didn't actually know it was edible. And now that I know how it's produced, it shall remain inedible...to me. 😂 But yes, the place looks beautiful!
Show threadMats Holberg 🇺🇦 🇵🇸Jul 12, 2023
@WhatTheChel I don’t think ALL argan oil is made that way haha. Labor intensive and I’m pretty sure it’s just the high-grade oil made for cuisine. But I’m not an expert so don’t quote me in that :)
Show threadMats Holberg 🇺🇦 🇵🇸Jul 12, 2023
@WhatTheChel And I understand why this process won’t tempt you to try it haha.
Show threadWhatTheChelJul 12, 2023
@Holberg Pretty sure I've heard of some other food product that also passes through an animal's digestive system, although I'm blanking on what it was. (Or, more likely, I've intentionally blotted it out! 😂) I would just like to know who the first person was who looked at animal scat and said, "Something in there sure looks tasty..." LOL
Show threadMats Holberg 🇺🇦 🇵🇸Jul 12, 2023
@WhatTheChel RIGHT?? It would not have been I! I think there's a coffee bean that's gone through a monkey's digestive system or something? Not going to google this because I'm worried about photos that might appear haha.
Show threadWhatTheChelJul 12, 2023
@Holberg Yes! I think that's it! 😂 And it's super expensive. Now, I love coffee and would even go as far as saying I'm a coffee snob (I import my beans directly from Costa Rica 🙈). But no amount of cachet is going to make me even consider monkey poop beans...
Show threadMats Holberg 🇺🇦 🇵🇸Jul 12, 2023
@WhatTheChel Okay, you made me legit lol with 'monkey poop beans'
Show threadWhatTheChelJul 12, 2023
@Holberg I'm sure that's not anywhere in their marketing materials, but hey... 😂
Show threadRora BorealisJul 13, 2023
@WhatTheChel @Holberg I think it was civets.
Show threadWhatTheChelJul 14, 2023
@rora_borealis Yes, thanks! I've been told it's civet-digested coffee beans. And um, just no. 🤮😂
Show threadskryJul 12, 2023
@Holberg @WhatTheChel It’s civet cat coffee https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kopi_luwak
Kopi luwak - Wikipedia

Show threadWhatTheChelJul 12, 2023
@skry Thanks! I still don't understand whyyyy.... 😂
Show threadSteven ZekowskiJul 12, 2023

@Holberg @WhatTheChel

You’re thinking of kopi luwak; the animals are civets. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kopi_luwak

Kopi luwak - Wikipedia

Show threadWhatTheChelJul 12, 2023
@steve_zeke @Holberg Yes, thank you! No wonder I couldn't remember... 😂
Show threadSarah WJul 12, 2023
@WhatTheChel @Holberg
The coffee beans have passed through a civet cat, not a monkey ( unless that's another that I haven't heard about).
The coffee is extraordinarily expensive and I just can't think why anyone would buy it.
Show threadWhatTheChelJul 12, 2023
@Sarahw @Holberg Yes, someone clarified for me. I'd thought "cat" initially, but that just didn't seem right. Lol I can't imagine any taste remarkable enough for me to spend lots of money for the chance to ingest something that went through an animal's digestive tract... But that's just me. Lol
Show threadSarah WJul 12, 2023
@WhatTheChel @Holberg
It's not just you! 😁
Show threadWhatTheChelJul 12, 2023
@Sarahw 🤣
Show threadKatMan KilbyJul 15, 2023
@Holberg @WhatTheChel
Yep. I was trying to remember the name of the oil. Saw a news story about it, and the goats, years ago. "Goats in trees?" Blew my mind at the time.
Show threadWhatTheChelJul 16, 2023
@KatMan_Kilby @Holberg I know goats are incredible climbers and can end up in pretty ridiculous spots. But I've never seen them in trees. That would be fun to experience!
Show threadIza Running AgainJul 12, 2023

@Holberg

Goats goats goats!

They get even better in trees

Show threadMuckrakingMadnessJul 12, 2023
@Holberg Fun! Thanks
Show threadNoah CookJul 12, 2023
@Holberg Terry Pratchett taught us how to get a donkey down from a minaret, but not how to get a goat down from a tree, unfortunately.
Show threadSLCW💥Jul 12, 2023
@Holberg I always wondered where goats came from. Had no idea they grew on trees!
Show threadMats Holberg 🇺🇦 🇵🇸Jul 12, 2023
@slcw Hahaha
Show threadJustin DerrickJul 12, 2023
@Holberg @slcw How long does it take after planting my goat tree can I expect my first herd of goats?
Show threadMats Holberg 🇺🇦 🇵🇸Jul 12, 2023
@JustinDerrick @slcw Takes a while to mature, I’d allow five years.
Show threadzeitverschreib Jul 12, 2023
@Holberg https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/moroccos-tree-climbing-goats

Seems it's a scam to rip off tourists.
Show threadArneBabJul 13, 2023

@zeitverschreib @Holberg I like the article, because it shows many aspects of the story — including this one:

> He says he had no interest in using his goats as roadside attractions until it became too dry to grow wheat.

Show threadDeirdre Saoirse MoenJul 12, 2023
@Holberg One of my fun memories of Morocco!
Show threadMats Holberg 🇺🇦 🇵🇸Jul 12, 2023
@deirdresm I love how it starts to look normal like, yes, of course.
Show threadDeirdre Saoirse MoenJul 12, 2023
@Holberg I wonder what it is specifically about argan trees that causes them to be so attractive to goats.
Show threadMartin McNultyJul 12, 2023

@Holberg National Geographic published quite a thoughtful article on this phenomenon

https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/animals/2022/06/the-real-story-behind-moroccos-tree-climbing-goats

The real story behind Morocco’s tree-climbing goats

Is it instinct or spectacle? Drought, desperation, and tourism combine to create a surprising tableau.

National Geographic
Show threadTomasz SusułJul 12, 2023
@Holberg no, no, no … that must be a joke 🤣
Show threadMats Holberg 🇺🇦 🇵🇸Jul 12, 2023
@TomaszSusul Haha there’s a National Geographic article people have posted in the mentions that explains how this happens. Not nature, am exactly, but still fun to see.
Show threadTomasz SusułJul 12, 2023
@Holberg oh yeah ;)
Show threadThe Secret Life Of Plants🌱Jul 12, 2023
@Holberg @TomaszSusul
Cruelty to animals is never nice to see.
Show threadxs4me2Jul 12, 2023

@Holberg

Reminds me of Salvador Dali in fact!

But its not a dream :)

Show threadBadriJul 12, 2023
@Holberg oh wow! So this wasn't Photoshop after all huh 🤯
Show threadStoneface VimesJul 12, 2023
@Holberg that's where I first saw them too. Maybe twenty miles or so outside Marrakech on the road to Essaouira (love that town BTW)
Show threadMats Holberg 🇺🇦 🇵🇸Jul 12, 2023
@capnthommo Fantastic place.
Show threadMikeJul 12, 2023
@Holberg Mountain goats scale near sheer cliffs. I think goat really means greatest of all time.
Show threadJohn ShirleyJul 12, 2023
@Holberg and you thought goats came from being born from their mothers. Let me tell you, harvesting goat fruit is backbreaking work.
Show threadDomino JoyceJul 12, 2023
@JohnShirley2023 @Holberg came here to make this joke 💀
Show threadriyanluqmanJul 12, 2023
@Holberg spidergoat
Show threadJargogglesJul 12, 2023
@Holberg
A thing: exists.
All goats anywhere: "I'm gonna climb that..."
Show threadTheAnymouseProphetJul 12, 2023
@Holberg
Do they sell seeds? I would like to plant a goat tree.
Show threadbookworks 💙Jul 12, 2023
@Holberg Yes! Me too. My daughter spent a semester in Morocco in 2010 and we spent a few days in Essaouira! Thanks for the memory :)
Show threadΣειληνός (Seilēnós)Jul 12, 2023
@Holberg In Greece, too. And goat farms in the US.
Show threadtommyJul 12, 2023
@Holberg cool how humans stabikized the trees, that the goats can stand all over the tree