In Marrakesh’s crowded Jemaa el-Fna square in Morocco, endangered Barbary macaques were yanked and lifted by chains around their necks, hit with sticks and rags, and shut inside tiny travel boxes. Amid this abuse, handlers forced the macaques to pose with tourists for photographs, turning their suffering into entertainment.
Lady Freethinker’s investigator witnessed this treatment firsthand during an August 2026 visit to Marrakesh, Imlil, and the Atlas Mountains, as temperatures climbed above 104 degrees Fahrenheit and the animals endured long stretches in the punishing heat.
Some macaques appeared very thin beneath the human clothing they were forced to wear; others were seen pulling against their chains, lying on the ground, or clawing and biting at mesh-covered openings in small enclosures.
Photo Credit: Aaron Gekoski for Lady Freethinker
“Macaques are deeply intelligent, social animals, yet when they are used for tourist attractions, any sense of autonomy and comfort is taken from them,” said Lady Freethinker Founder and President Nina Jackel, who called for stronger protections for animals across Morocco.
Behind the Tourist Photos
Across Jemaa el-Fna, LFT’s investigator counted around 15 handlers with macaques. Some placed the animals on visitors without permission, urged them to take photographs, and then demanded payment.
Beyond the moment captured in a tourist’s photograph, the macaques’ lives were defined by chains and cramped transport boxes. The clawing and biting our investigator witnessed are especially troubling because researchers use abnormal behavior as an important indicator of poor welfare in captive primates.
Photo Credit: Aaron Gekoski for Lady Freethinker
Although keeping macaques as pets is illegal in Morocco, National Geographic reported that some handlers had permits to use them as tourist attractions. However, their presence is not essential to preserving the square’s cultural traditions, UNESCO told the publication.
Working Animals Struggle Under Heavy Loads and Extreme Heat
Beyond Jemaa el-Fna, the same intense heat bore down on animals forced to work elsewhere in Marrakesh. LFT’s investigator saw donkeys hauling heavy loads through narrow streets — some while being whipped or wearing unsuitable gear — as well as thin or wounded carriage horses waiting hours for tourists and ponies and camels carrying riders through heavy traffic nearby.
Photo Credit: Aaron Gekoski for Lady Freethinker
Photo Credit: Aaron Gekoski for Lady Freethinker
In the Atlas Mountains, our investigator also observed mules being made to carry travelers and supplies to places cars cannot reach, raising concerns about their workloads and working conditions.
Photo Credit: Aaron Gekoski for Lady Freethinker
A Chance for Lasting Change NOW
Travelers have a direct and impactful role to play in ending this cruelty. By refusing photos or rides involving chained, injured, overloaded, or heat-stressed animals, they can send a powerful message that suffering is not entertainment.
As international attention grows on Morocco as the country prepares to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup, officials have an opportunity to strengthen animal protections before the tournament begins.
Lady Freethinker is calling for clear, enforceable standards requiring shade, water, rest, and veterinary care, along with safe limits on working temperatures and load weights, and a prohibition on forcing injured animals to work.
More than 23,000 people joined Lady Freethinker’s earlier call to end the use of endangered macaques for tourist photos in Morocco. Although the petition was delivered in 2023, LFT’s latest investigation shows that the animals still need stronger protections. Please sign our petition urging UNESCO’s Director-General to issue an official statement condemning the exploitation of endangered Barbary macaques at Jemaa el-Fna Square.
SIGN: Speak Out for Endangered Monkeys Chained and Hit for Tourist Photos
