Newborn macaque takes first steps

A newborn Barbary macaque has been filmed taking its first tentative steps at the top of the Rock.

The baby monkey frolicked while its parents relaxed in the shade.

The monkey is one of a number of new additions to Gibraltar's troops, which live in the wild in different locations around the Upper Rock nature reserve.

Dr Eric Shaw, who heads Gibraltar's Barbary macaque management team, said around a dozen monkeys had been born in Gibraltar in recent weeks.

"We had our first birth in May," he said.

He cautioned, however, that the final number of newborns will not be confirmed for some weeks yet because some monkeys, particularly those born to first-time mothers, sometimes do not survive.

"The first few weeks are critical," Dr Shaw said.

The young monkey in the video is probably at least a week old, given its lively behaviour, Dr Shaw said.

It was filmed on Saturday evening near Prince Philip's Arch, at the top of the Rock.

Gibraltar's Barbary macaques are the only free-ranging monkeys living wild in Europe.

To observe natural behaviour like this, they are best watched quietly from a distance.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The original version of this story has been updated to include correct number of births this year and quotes.