Laura Young
ECB Publishing, Inc.
With a high-pitched chirp, a cotton-topped tamarin monkey takes a chunk of grape with his gray-furred claw, sucks down the juicy sweetness and makes eyes for another tidbit. A human hand responds, extending tongs to offer another piece, first to the monkey's mate and then alternating between them until the snack is gone. A cheerful chorus of whistling trills and squeaks accompanies the encounter.
In the wild, these squirrel-sized primates eat primarily tree sap, which they supplement with scavenged fruit, nectar and insects. Sadly, the very small area of dry tropical forest where cotton-topped tamarins live in northwest Colombia, South America, has been shrinking dramatically due to logging, agricultural activity and urban expansion. In addition to extreme loss of habitat, these monkeys have suffered heavy poaching for both the illegal pet trade and biomedical research. For decades the number of cotton-topped tamarins has plummeted until only a few thousand of these primates still live in the wild.
For this reason, the conservation status of cotton-topped tamarins is listed as critically endangered, and efforts are needed to save the rare species from the brink of extinction. In addition to protecting habitat, policing the pet trade and conducting awareness campaigns, the survival of cotton-topped tamarins depends also on breeding programs carried out at zoological institutions and private sanctuaries.
Jefferson County is now privileged to have a breeding pair of these rare monkeys in residence at the North Florida Wildlife Center in Lamont. Einstein and Elsa, an established couple, arrived here in mid December from the Chase Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservancy in Central Florida, where the tamarin breeding program has been so successful they were running out of space.
Could the Wildlife Center take a pair? You bet! The couple's new home in Lamont includes a heated indoor space that connects to an outdoor area full of natural vegetation and plenty of tree limbs for climbing.
“We're really excited to have them,” says Executive Director Ryan Reines. “One of the most fascinating things about them is they are specialized sap feeders.”
To eat sap, cotton-topped tamarin monkeys use their long, slender fingers to dig into holes that other animals have already gouged into trees. The bodies of both the males and females are marked with long fur that is rusty brown on the back, black on the face and pure white on the belly and head. Their common name comes from the white crest which runs across the head from ear to ear.
Cotton-topped tamarin monkeys are very social and friendly. As such, Einstein and Elsa are ready to greet visitors to the Wildlife Center! To meet, watch and hear the amazing vocalizations of these very rare monkeys, book at tour at www.NorthFloridaWildlife.org. Funds from the center's ticket sales support a number of conservation efforts around the world. Special pricing and activities will be taking place at the center's Wild Wonders Weekend on Jan. 25-26.