Is this tree really full of goats? It may look like it's been edited, but this scene is quite common in southern Morocco. But left unchecked, overgrazing on these precious argan trees is bad news for the ecosystem.
Image: Getty Images/F. Senna
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Looking like goat-shaped baubles decking out a tree, what's driving this seemingly odd sight is the creature's immense craving for a tasty snack.
Their passion for the argan fruit has meant goats have learnt to climb as high as 8 to 10 meters (26 to 32.9 feet) up into the branches to reach it.
Local farmers have also encouraged the goats' craving, owing to the animals' rather lucrative poop. The seeds are indigestible, so once the goat has done the tricky work of eating the fruit from the high branches, the goat herders collect some of the seeds from the excrement, for processing into oil.
Argan oil is a valuable export for Morocco. It's sold in wealthier countries as pricey cosmetics and food. The oil generates more than $6.5 million (€5.7 million) per year for Morocco's economy.
While nimble, the climbing goats do occasionally take a tumbleImage: Getty Images/AFP/F. Senna
Although goats are already known for their nimbleness, climbing trees poses a challenge. They manage it by climbing slowly, and some goat herders try to make it easier for them by cutting some branches off the trees so the creatures can start climbing more easily. But the goats do still occasionally take a tumble.
And contrary to the popular idea that the seeds all come from the goats' excrement, scientists have found that most of the seeds used to produce Morocco's argan oil actually comes from those regurgitated and spat out by the goats.
This habit of spitting out the seeds also plays a key role in maintaining argan forests.
Argan seeds actually mostly come from what the goat spits out, not its excrementImage: picture-alliance/T. Dressler
Researchers from the Donana Biological Station in Seville, Spain, found that 70 percent of seeds regurgitated by goats could still grow, meaning the creatures play an important ecological role in helping the species to survive.
Argan trees play an important ecological role thanks to their deep roots, protecting the local environment from desertification.
But the rise in argan oil's popularity, coupled with climate change, has left the trees struggling to survive.
Overgrazing by goats and deforestation has caused the number of argan trees to plummet. They once covered the whole region of North Africa.
That, coupled with the high demand for argan oil, has prompted organizations to implement a number of conservation measures to make sure tree numbers don't further dwindle.
Local people are also playing an important role in helping to protect argan trees, such as implementing seasonal bans to protect the trees from goat grazing.
For Morocco's argan trees, climbing goats are both a help and a hindrance.
Rare, shy, tiny predators of the desert
Hardly anybody will ever see a black-footed cat. They are only about half the size of domestic cats and live in the savannah of southern Africa. German zoologists are trying to find out how many of them are still there.
Image: Dr. Alexander Sliwa
Almost unknown
Hardly any other wild cat has been less researched than the black footed cat. One reason: the animals are almost impossible to see. They are just about half the size of domestic cats. A full grown tomcat weights about four pounds, or 1.9 kilograms, a female about 1.3 kilograms. Researchers estimate the population at 10,000. In South Africa and Botswana they are strictly protected.
Image: Dr. Alexander Sliwa
An inhospitable home
Black-footed cats live in the dry zones of southern Africa, in the savannah and the semideserts of the Karoo and Kalahari. The main population centers are in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana, but they can also be found in Zimbabwe and Angola.
Image: Christine Ritzen
Skilled hunters
Other animals: be warned! During its nightly raids, a black-footed cat will catch a rodent or a bird every 50 minutes. This northern black korhaan is almost half a meter in size - more than a foot and a half. The wild cats can catch birds in flight, jump 1.4 meters high and two meters in distance.
Image: Dr. Alexander Sliwa
Brave and ready to fight
Even though black-footed cats are generally shy, they will fight bravely against attackers - even snakes. This picture was taken just before the cat attacked. And the cats will even eat non-poisonous snakes. Of course weaker animals fall prey to the cats much more easily. A cape hare is considerably smaller than a European hare, but at 2.5 kilograms, still a lot bigger than the cat.
Image: M. Kusters
A case for Dr. Sliwa!
Even when the black-footed cats live near human settlements, it is quite possible that no-one will ever see one. The animals are extremely shy. Alexander Sliwa from the Black-Footed Cat Working Group tries to detect animals, which he previously fitted with radio collars .The Cologne-based zoologist has been researching black-footed cats since 1992.
Image: Christine Ritzen
Welcome to kitty's cave!
Currently, twelve animals are fitted with radio collars. Sometimes the zoologists have to get a bit closer to the animals - but that is not easy. The animals live in burrows abandoned by spring hares, ground squirrels, old world porcupines or aardvarks. Empty termite mounds are also popular among the cats for their perfect natural air conditioning.
Image: Dr. Alexander Sliwa
Protection from other predators
Young kittens are relatively safe in their cat-apartments. A female will have between one and two young after a pregnancy of 63 to 68 days. The mother often changes her housing location to prevent predators like jackals from finding the young ones.
Image: Martina Küsters
Get out the pickaxe
When the zoologists want to get a cat out of its underground dwelling, they have to use heavy tools: pickaxe and shovel. In the midday heat on a December summer day, this is real hard work.
Image: Dr. Alexander Sliwa
Gotcha!
The cat is caught in the net! Don't let her get away! The researchers have to move fast, if they want to check the animal's condition thoroughly. To avoid stress, the cats get an anesthetic shot right away. Then the general medical checkup can begin.
Image: Dr. Alexander Sliwa
A predator on the examination table
Since 2005, an international working group has dedicated its work to the protection of black-footed cats. Researchers from the U.S., South Africa and Germany meet once a year for three weeks. They catch the animals, fit radio collars and take samples of blood, urine, feces, saliva, fatty tissue and sperm.
Image: Dr. Alexander Sliwa
The proof!
The foot is actually black! The feet of the black footed cats are not as well set up for climbing as those of domestic cats - because there are not many trees around, where they live. But they are good runners. A male cat will walk about 30 kilometers or 19 miles in one night.
Image: Dr. Alexander Sliwa
Deadly metabolic disease
The zoologists are testing the felines for signs of a particularly dangerous metabolic disease called amyloidosis. The disease is fatal for the cats. First zoologists diagnosed amyloidosis in zoo animals after a dramatic decline in populations. Later the disease was also found in the carcass of a wild black- footed cat.
Image: Dr. Alexander Sliwa
Wake up kitty!
After the check-up, kitty is given an anti-anesthetic. Then the cat will be released into its cave. There it can recover from its surprise capture. For the researchers, the real work is just about to begin. They want to understand not only the medical condition of the cats, but also their daily routines and habits.
Image: Dr. Alexander Sliwa
Close-circuit TV in the desert
Two camera-traps are installed right in front of the cave. Are the cats going to behave normally after waking up from their nap? Are they doing allright? Let's see who sticks his snout out first! Video-traps start recording as soon as something starts moving in front of the lens.
Image: Dr. Alexander Sliwa
Smile please!
The cats are suspicious of the photo-cameras at first. Thentheir curiosity wins, and they start investigating them, cautiously. This cat obviously survived the medical check up well and is checking to see if the weird researchers have finally gone.
Image: Dr. Alexander Sliwa
On the red list.
Zoologist Alexander Sliwa has been the first to document the hunting, territorial and reproductive behavior of the black-footed cats. His research provided the data for an evaluation of the conservation needs of the species. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature is listing the cats as endangered in their "Red List of Threatened Species".
