On Valentine’s Day, Carly the pied tamarin welcomed two healthy offspring into the world at Chattanooga Zoo, and on April 8, Daphne — another resident pied tamarin — also gave birth to twins.
One of Daphne’s offspring is healthy and thriving, but the other was not viable and passed away shortly after its birth. Many tamarin species are known to have high infant mortality rates, so the primate’s immediate passing, while upsetting and disappointing, does not come as a shock to animal care and veterinary staff and is, instead, a known reality of the species.
With three new healthy tamarins, Chattanooga Zoo’s population of this small, rare New World monkey species has grown to 11 individuals, giving the Zoo the second-largest pied tamarin population in the U.S.
Pied tamarins are listed on the IUCN red list as critically endangered, and they are in serious danger of going extinct in a matter of decades due to deforestation, habitat fragmentation, urban expansion, collection for the pet trade and other factors in their natural habitats.
“According to the IUCN, pied tamarins were first designated as endangered in 1990 and critically endangered in 2003,” said Lacey Hickle, general curator at Chattanooga Zoo. “The IUCN predicts an additional population reduction of 80% or more within the next two decades, putting the species at serious risk of extinction in the near future.”
In the wild, pied tamarins are only found in the rainforest around the Brazilian city of Manaus, giving them a very limited range. Manaus currently has over 2 million residents and, as the city continues to expand, pied tamarins and other species are losing their habitats, food sources and other vital resources.
“If the population in the wild continues to decrease and eventually disappears, we may reach a point where zoos literally save the species from extinction,” said Hickle. “In that case, pied tamarin populations in zoos would buy time to restore natural habitats and, hopefully, reintroduce the species into the wild. At Chattanooga Zoo, we are excited to contribute to the conservation of this unique, important species.”
Chattanooga Zoo’s collection makes up about 25% of the U.S. population of the species and is the second-largest group in the country. In total, only six zoos in the U.S. house pied tamarins.
Chattanooga Zoo’s tamarins are currently divided into two troops. One group includes Daphne, her mate Dudley, their children — Crash, Eddy, Appa and Momo — and the newborn. The other group includes Carly, her mate Belen and their twins. After a couple of months, or sooner if there is any concerning behavior among the tamarins, Zoo veterinary staff will conduct general wellness checks on the newborns and also determine their genders.
Pied tamarins generally live around 10 years. They are an arboreal species, moving quickly on all four legs and jumping from tree to tree to consume fruit, flowers, spiders, insects and other foods as they support their ecosystem by spreading seeds and eating pests. They live in groups of up to 15 individuals with one dominant female who breeds each spring and usually bears twins.
Chattanooga Zoo is offering the unique opportunity to name Carly and Belen’s twins who were born on Valentine’s Day through their annual online auction, Bidders for Critters. The Zoo is auctioning naming rights as well as exclusive Zoo experiences, one-of-a-kind animal art and other gifts. Visit chattzoo.org/events/bidders-for-critters to learn more about the auction, and click here to bid on pied tamarin naming rights. All proceeds will help Chattanooga Zoo build a new state-of-the-art animal hospital, enhancing medical care for the pied tamarins and the entire Zoo family.
To support the conservation of pied tamarins and many other endangered species, visit Chattanooga Zoo, explore membership options and consider making a donation online. Additionally, proceeds from WILD Encounters with red pandas, meerkats, Komodo dragons and other fascinating species help support wildlife conservation.
Chattanooga Zoo supports Proyecto Titi, Rainforest Trust, Save the Golden Lion Tamarin and other organizations around the world that directly impact the Callitrichidae family (including New World monkeys like marmosets and tamarins) and many other species.
“In everything we do at the Zoo, our overall goal is to contribute to wildlife conservation efforts — especially for threatened and endangered species,” said Darde Long, president and CEO of Chattanooga Zoo. “Serving as the point of connection between people and vulnerable species can be very impactful as it is much easier to care about something you can actually see. By housing pied tamarins here, we are showing the community exactly what will be lost if conditions in the rainforest do not improve.”
To learn more about Chattanooga Zoo, visit chattzoo.org.