Drayton Manor Zoo welcomes endangered baby tamarins

The twins, which are the second set born to proud parents, Ellie and Berrie, weigh just 45g, which is roughly the same size as a hamster.

Named for the white fur that flows over its head and shoulders, cotton-top tamarins are known for their inquisitive, sociable and playful nature. The species is one of the world’s smallest and rarest monkeys with only around 6,000 left in the wild, predominantly due to deforestation in its native Colombia, and Drayton Manor Zoo’s skilled primate team is committed to help prevent their extinction.

The new cotton-top tamarins will be looked after at Drayton Manor Park’s 15-acre zoo. As part of the Zoo, there is The Tamarin Trail where families can come face-to-face with some of the smaller primates, such as the golden-headed lion, red handed and emperor tamarins as well as pygmy and silvery marmosets.

Chris Mitchell, Head of Zoo Operations commented: “We are really happy to welcome these healthy twins who are already melting the hearts of everyone at the zoo – we just need to decide on their names now.

“We work very hard to safeguard the future of some of the world's rarest species, including the cotton-top tamarins, so when we do have new babies, it is brilliant and makes all of the long hours worthwhile. In addition to being part of the European breeding programme for these animals, we also are delighted to support Proyecto Titi, an organisation working tirelessly to save Cotton-Top’s in their Columbian rainforest home.

“With twins, typical in Tamarins, it is a good job that both parents share the hard work in raising the offspring. It is also common for older siblings to take an active interest in helping to raise the young, which is what we’ve seen over the last few days with Ellie and Berrie’s older offspring, Kit and Leo, sticking close to the new-borns.”