Gibraltar's apes 'have lost their fear of humans' "They've lost their fear of humans and regard them as a source of rich food, like chocolate and biscuits," explained Dr John Cortes, Gibraltar's environment minister. A boost to a contraceptive programme forms part of the scheme as does "the possibility of relocating up to 120 monkeys to north Africa," a government statement said. Authorities want to avoid a repeat of a cull carried out four years ago, after a rogue pack of macaques rampaged through the town centre, breaking into hotel rooms and scavenging from dustbins. The Gibraltar population of the Barbary macaque, likely introduced from Africa by 18th-century British soldiers, currently number around 230 and are a popular tourist attraction. Local folklore has it that Gibraltar would cease to be British if the monkeys were to leave. Winston Churchill took it seriously enough to ship extra monkeys from North Africa to Gibraltar during the Second World War.