What a bizarre, almost unnatural sight, right?
And yeah, those are real goats chilling on real trees – no photoshop involved. I must say, they’ve definitely got their balancing act on point. I mean, they strut up to the top branches like it’s nobody’s business. They go up there in dozens. Respect. I thought goats were really boring creatures in general.
But not the goats of Morocco.
They’re just hanging in there, 30 feet above the ground, pondering over life while munching on some tasty fruit.
Which fruit, you might ask. Well, it grows on trees called Argania spinosa or Argan, found in Southwest Morocco.
For the gymnastic goats, the lure might just be about the delicious, juicy flavour. But for humans, this diet brings something much more valuable.
So, this is how it goes.
When the Argan fruit is ripe, these goats raid the trees, eat as much fruit as they can, shit it out and go back for some more. In the meantime, humans trace their tracks and scoop up their poop.
Why?
Because humans are freakin’ weird.
Just kidding.
They do it to procure special seeds. When goats eat the fruit, they swallow the nuts as well, which contain tiny, oil-rich seeds inside. So, when they take a dump, the nuts come out intact. They’re really hard and go through the entire digestive process without disintegrating.
Men and women of the region then venture out to find the precious potty and take all the nuts they can find. They then break them open, extract the seeds and make Argan oil.
Why would they go through such hell, you may wonder.
Argan oil is the world’s most expensive oil. It is rich in fatty acids and vitamins, and used to make fancy cosmetics and food items that naturally come with equally high price tags. Argan oil is mostly sold in Europe and America. Its popularity has spread with a growing market.
But this traditional way of scoring the oil is gradually going out of fashion because:
1. It takes a while to produce the oil this way
2. People sensed some ‘odd smell’ while using the oil a bunch of times (no shit)
Today, women’s cooperatives get the fruit directly from the trees and do the needful.
I’m just worried about the goats. I do hope they still get to perform their gravity-defying stunts, not unlike our famed Olympians. In the midst of so much bullshit, this view makes me happy inside.
Look at this cute fluffy thing.
What’s up, you guys?
I’m taking one with me when I finally head to Mt Everest. At least one of us will make it to the top.
Bonus: Here’s a slow-mo video of the goats that happens to be the best Mannequin Challenge you haven’t seen yet.