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New monkeys at Wellington Zoo
28 February 2008
Wellington Zoo's newest arrivals, two Emperor tamarins went on display in late February, said Suzette Nicholson, Husbandry Manager.
"We are excited to have the only Emperor tamarins in New Zealand at Wellington Zoo," said Suzette. "Emperor tamarins are very small monkeys - our female weighs around 400g and the male around 600g. They are very cute with quirky personalities plus they have fantastic long white moustaches." "The Emperor tamarin got its name because of its moustache, and the similarity to the German Emperor Wilhelm II, at first the name was a joke, but now it is the common name for these monkeys." "Our two new tamarins are nearly four years old, a male and a female that came to us from Melbourne Zoo. We hope that they will form a breeding pair." The Emperor tamarins at Wellington Zoo are part of an international breeding programme. Emperor tamarins are native to tropical rainforest in parts of Peru, Brazil and Bolivia. They are currently not under threat of extinction but their habitat in the wild is threatened by deforestation.
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