COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – On Thursday, the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden introduced guests to one of the world’s most endangered primate species that will now live in the park.
The zoo announced a new pair of cotton-top tamarins, Pepita and Caqueta, to the Riverbanks Conservation Outpost (RCO) on Thursday afternoon.
“It’s always exciting,” said Ryan Jones, Gorilla and Small Mammal Supervisor at Riverbanks. “It’s not just about a new species; it’s about meeting new individuals. We get to learn their personalities, and that’s what makes it fun.”
Pepita, a six-month-old female, found a home at Riverbanks after being confiscated from the illegal pet trade.
“She was being raised with the intention of being a pet, and that does not work well for nonhuman primates,” says Dr. Martha Weber, Vice President of Animal Care at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden. “When she arrived here at two months old, she was malnourished, and we had to nurse her back to health.”
Once Pepita recovered, it was clear she would need a companion due to the social nature of cotton-top tamarins.
The zoo, working with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Species Survival Plan® (SSP), matched the young tamarin with 12-year-old Caqueta from Buttonwood Park Zoo in Massachusetts, experience raising young.
“Our hope is that she will take little Pepita under her wing and show her the ins and outs of being a tamarin,” Dr. Weber added.
“It’s always exciting,” said Ryan Jones, Gorilla and Small Mammal Supervisor at Riverbanks. “It’s not just about a new species; it’s about meeting new individuals. We get to learn their personalities, and that’s what makes it fun.”
Cotton-top tamarins are one of the most endangered species of primates in the world. According to the Smithsonian Zoo, fewer than 6,000 are left in the wild due to deforestation, habitat degradation, and trafficking through the illegal pet trade.
The zoo’s Bridge to the Wild expansion includes a future primate forest habitat that will expand capacity to care for primates surrendered or confiscated from the illegal pet trade.
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