Endangered tamarin comes to Idaho Falls Zoo
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - A critically endangered one-pound cotton-top female tamarin has a new home at the Idaho Falls Zoo.
Tunda came from Phoenix to be the new mate of the male cotton-top tamarin at the Idaho Falls Zoo Chad.
At the beginning of January, Chad lost his 20-year-old mate, Mani, due to her advanced age.
Because tamarins are social, animal care staff at the Idaho Falls Zoo immediately notified the cotton-top tamarin Species Survival Plan (SSP) through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to ensure Chad’s mental health and wellbeing.
After the cotton-top tamarin SSP put out word of Chad needing a new mate, representatives from the Phoenix Zoo promptly responded. At two years old, Tunda is the perfect age to be matched with a male cotton-top tamarin.
“Tunda is a very mellow monkey who excelled at helping raise her two younger siblings,” said Mary Yoder, Phoenix Zoo’s Collection Manager of Primates. “We are excited to know she will be an ambassador for her species and carry on her lineage through the SSP pairing with Chad in Idaho Falls.”
Under the SSP, the pair will be carefully monitored for breeding activity and success. Their future propagation success is extraordinarily important as cotton-top tamarins are one of the rarest primates in the world.
