Endangered Cotton-Top Tamarin Gives Birth to Twins in Zoo Boise

Twin cotton-top tamarins were born on February 28 to their parents "Eddy and Mimi," according to a Thursday announcement from Zoo Boise.

Although the gender of the newborns has not yet been established, they will be living with their older brother "Rockford," who was born the previous year.

Endangered Cotton-Top Tamarin Family

According to Zoo Boise, the young animals will remain attached to their parents until they've grown old enough to move independently. Visitors can meet the family at the zoo's Small Animal Kingdom.

The Zoo claims that Eddy and Mimi are excellent parents who are incredibly protective of their offspring. To prevent adding unnecessary stress to the new family, Zoo Boise asks visitors to remain silent and inoffensive while viewing the infants.

According to the zoo, newborn cotton-top tamarins only weigh 1.5 ounces, whereas adults typically weigh one pound. The species is critically endangered and can only be found in northwest Colombia.

Furthering Conservation Work

Doug Holloway, the director of Boise Parks and Recreation, said that at Zoo Boise, introducing new animals to the public is always exciting. It is especially noteworthy when the newborns are actually born in the zoo. The utterly adorable twin tamarin infants contribute significantly to the team's conservation efforts at Zoo Boise and to the species, which is currently critically endangered in South America.

The Cotton-Top Tamarin Species Survival Program matched the parents, Eddy and Mimi, according to their compatibility. It functions as a breeding program for species that are endangered or threatened, KTVB7 reports.

Zoo Boise Breeding Program

According to Zoo Boise, to grow in number and be able to reintroduce some zoo-bred wildlife into their natural habitats if necessary, the goal is to preserve a healthy as well as genetically diverse population for all the animals in the program.

Zoo Boise has turned going to the zoo and seeing wildlife into a conservation effort. Zoo Boise visitors have contributed more than $3 million since 2007 to the preservation of animals in the wild, redefining the purpose of a zoo. The Association of Zoos & Aquariums, a national group that promotes excellence in wildlife rehabilitation, conservation, education, and science, has granted Zoo Boise accreditation.

Cotton-Top Tamarin Decline

The cotton-top tamarin, one of the tiniest primates, can be identified by the lengthy, white sagittal crest that runs from its forehead towards its shoulders. Although the New World monkey has a lifespan of up to 24 years, most of them pass away by the age of 13.

Before 1976, when CITES gave cotton-top tamarins the highest level of protection and outlawed all international commercial trade, it is estimated that up to 40,000 of them were captured and exported to be harvested for biomedical research.

The lowland forest where the cotton-top tamarin is found in northwest Colombia has been reduced to 5% of its former size, putting the species in danger due to widespread habitat destruction. With only 6,000 individuals remaining in the wild, it's among the rarest primates on earth and is currently listed as critically endangered, Animalia reports.