All Rights Reserved by the Author
20 September 2026
Most of us have seen goats climb onto rocks.
But some goats take climbing rather more seriously.
In Morocco, goats are sometimes seen climbing argan trees, carefully balancing on branches several metres above the ground.
The sight looks almost impossible the first time you see it.
The goats climb because they are attracted to the leaves and fruit of the argan tree. The trees themselves are well adapted to the dry environment of southwestern Morocco.
For generations, local communities have lived alongside these trees, which are important for both the ecosystem and the production of argan oil.
The goats, meanwhile, have acquired a reputation of their own.
They climb.
They balance.
They eat.
And apparently they have no particular interest in what we think goats are supposed to do.
There is something wonderfully reassuring about that.
Every species has its own way of making sense of the world.
A goat does not need to behave like a horse.
A crow does not need to behave like a parrot.
And perhaps humans could occasionally take the same advice.
We spend so much time trying to fit into expectations.
The goats seem to have solved the problem.
Find a tree.
Climb it.
Have lunch.
Rajat Chandra Sarmah
Guwahati, Assam, India
Instagram @rajatchandrasarmah5
YouTube: conversewithasmile
Email: rajatchandrasarmah@gmail.com
