- Macaques in Gibraltar eat soil as a coping mechanism for digestive issues arising from consuming junk food obtained from tourists.
- A Cambridge University study found that human snacks, high in sugar, fat, and dairy, cause gastric upset in the primates, unlike their natural diet of herbs and insects.
- Scientists suggest the ingested soil helps line the gut to prevent irritation and provides beneficial bacteria and minerals missing from their processed diet.
- Observations showed that macaques frequently interacting with tourists consumed more soil, with this behaviour increasing during peak holiday seasons.
- Researchers believe this unique soil-eating behaviour is socially learned, enabling the monkeys to continue consuming appealing, yet unhealthy, human foods.
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