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Born to be Wild:
Tazekka

Tazekka National Park is ready to host a new population of Barbary macaques.

Step by step, back to the wild

In addition to the project in Ifrane National Park, where rangers are overseeing the recovery of the population of Barbary macaques living in the wild, a second project was launched in 2022 under the Born to be Wild banner.

Since the start of the Born to be Wild project, the Moroccan government, with the help of AAP Animal Advocacy and Protection and other partners, has been working hard to push back the illegal trade in Barbary macaques in Morocco. What’s more, they are having success! Since the start of the initiative, many dozens of Barbary macaques have been confiscated and gradually the wild populations are improving, just like in Ifrane.

But the work does not stop there. The confiscated animals needed a future and what could be a better one than giving these animals a chance to return to the wild? The Tazekka reintroduction project is unique in the history of AAP.

On this page, we will keep you informed with updates and vlogs.

Video: Eva Schippers, Head of Rescue & Rehabilitation at AAP, talks about the first steps of the Barbary macaques in a pre-release enclosure in June 2023. The last enclosure before the Barbary macaques actually return to the wild.

The approach

The approach During the past year, a lot of work went into building a special rehabilitation centre for the confiscated Barbary macaques. In March 2022, the construction was complete and after the necessary medical checks, the animals could leave the temporary accommodation in Rabat Zoo. In Tazekka, the animals are being prepared gradually for a return to their natural environment. First, the animals are resocialised, which means that they learn to live together in natural groups again. When this is successful, the animals are moved to a natural enclosure. This is a large enclosure where the animals can slowly get used to life in the wild, under supervision. When this step is successful, the animals will – hopefully in spring 2024 – be released into the wild!
Updates
Our team, aided by numerous volunteers, lives in the middle of Tazekka National Park to guide the Barbary macaques on their way to freedom. This series of vlogs give an insight into the developments and progress of this extraordinary project.

To do list

march 2022: Selection of Barbary macaques suitable for the project✔️
march – May 2022: Quarantine and medical checks on all animals✔️
may – June 2022: Transportation of the animals to Tazekka National Park and acclimatisation in their new enclosures✔️
july 2022: Start of resocialisation process and formation of natural groups✔️
2023: Groups move to a large, natural enclosure✔️
early 2025: First group to special pre-release enclosure at a remote location in Tazekka National Park 
spring 2025: The gate to freedom opens! 
2025 – 2026: Monitoring the group of released Barbary macaques