Watch the nocturnal mountain goats that have taken a shine to inland Malaga province village
Up to three specimens have been seen on the same night, including Duke - the oldest male that has been named by the residents after several visits over the past few months
Mountain goats have taken a liking to nocturnal tourism in Canillas de Aceituno. The small village in the Axarquía area of Malaga province - with a population of just 1,700 - has been witnessing the nighttime antics of several male specimens since July. The visits are so frequent that some of the residents have named one of the animals - the oldest one (about ten years old) - Duke.
Resident Rocío Ortiz García, who is a keen photographer, has been able to capture two of the specimens passing in front of her window on Calle Convento. "The visits from our new neighbours continue. We have named the older one Duke and he is now accompanied by a younger male. They wander around the village every dawn, even visiting the square. There were up to three males in one night, two in the area above the Cueva Millón and another one below," she told SUR.
"Normally, we are visited by two animals - the smaller one always goes in front and the older, because they start to fight when they are together. They always keep their distance, although they go together," she said.
The residents believe that these wild animals might be attracted to the village because they like salt and the rocks of the Cueva Millón contain salt.
Plants and water
These nocturnal visitors have become a recurring topic of conversation in the Axarquía municipality, located right in the foothills of La Maroma, at 2,069 metres above sea level. Some are angry, because the flowers and plants they have on their doorsteps have been eaten. Others, however, are delighted with the presence of the mountain goats, grateful to Ortiz for getting up in the early hours of the morning to wait for them.
According to Ortiz, the animals have recently stopped eating the flowerpots and "they only eat from the mulberry tree and a fig tree in the area of the 'cañá'". Residents believe that the goats go to the village square for water.
Ortiz photographed Duke a few days ago, while he was resting after pawing the ground to create "a place to lie down".
This is not the first time that wild goats have been seen in urban areas in the province. In May 2021, several specimens were seen in Frigiliana. They walked along the rooftops and on the streets and were also captured in the cemetery of Comares. Previously, in April 2019, four goats were recorded jumping through the streets of Archidona.
