Lake Superior Zoo celebrates a conservation success with the birth of critically endangered cotton-top tamarin twins, boosting the fragile population.<\/p>\n
DULUTH, Minn \u2014 This Mother\u2019s Day, the Lake Superior Zoo has a special reason to celebrate. The zoo officially announced the birth of two critically endangered cotton-top tamarin twins, born to seasoned partners<\/a> Mira and Dino.<\/p>\n The announcement highlights continued success for the breeding pair. This is the fifth litter for the primate parents, according to the zoo.\u00a0<\/p>\n The arrival of the twins on April 14 marks a victory for conservation efforts. Cotton-top tamarins are among the rarest primates in the world. Native to a small pocket of northwest Colombia, they have been pushed toward extinction by human-induced habitat loss and the illegal pet trade, the zoo said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The protected tamarins suffered from years of mass capture and export from their native country for use in the biomedical research industry and pet trade, according to the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center<\/a>. The center said that by the early 1970s, as many as 40,000 tamarins had been removed from Colombia, which decimated the wild population. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n While the new twins are thriving, zoo staff intentionally delayed the public announcement to ensure the infants passed through their most vulnerable developmental stages.\u00a0<\/p>\n Experts estimate as few as 2,000 individuals remain in the wild. In the United States, the population in human care is even smaller, with about 200 individuals living across 60 Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited institutions. \u00a0<\/p>\n Because infant tamarins have a survival rate of only about 50%, the health of Mira and Dino\u2019s new arrivals is being celebrated as a success for the AZA\u2019s Species Survival Plan. \u00a0<\/p>\n