Critically Endangered New World Monkey Whose Birth Was Caught on Film Helps Longleat Celebrate International Day of the Cotton-Top Tamarin

Today, Friday 15 August, marks International Day of the Cotton-Top Tamarin, and keepers at Longleat have shared an update on their troop.

The Wiltshire estate is home to Maxi and Rico, along with son, Gizmo, whose birth was announced on last year’s International Day of the Cotton-Top Tamarin.

The birth, which was captured on camera, saw Gizmo weigh-in at approximately 40 grams, whereas now he is weighing in at 460 grams. His dad, Rico, weighs 500 grams, meaning Gizmo is nearly a fully grown adult.

Cotton-top tamarins reach maturity at around 15 – 18 months.

Image - Longleat, Tom Anders

Abbi Wheeler, Animal Adventure keeper, said: “Gizmo is a cheeky, mischievous little monkey, and his name certainly seems to suit him. He’s doing really well, and loves his food, particularly stealing his mum and dad’s portions!

“For the first few months, he was being carried around on their backs, but now he is off on his own, running around the branches and causing chaos. His favourite thing to do is play with dad and jump all over him, while mum wisely stays out the way.”

Cotton-top tamarins usually live in large family groups, with more individuals looking out for predators so the troop can safely hide away.

“Before Gizmo was born, Maxi and Rico could be quite shy and weren’t particularly confident coming outside, however since Gizmo was born, the whole family is often seen jumping through the branches and they all have a lot more confidence,” Abbi added.

Cotton-top tamarins are Critically Endangered with only around 6,000 left in the wild and Gizmo will play a key part in conservation of the species.

The Longleat team is training him for his weekly weigh-ins and accessing a crate, for when the time comes for him to move on and hopefully start his own family elsewhere.

Each year on International Day of the Cotton-Top Tamarin, Longleat keepers run activities to celebrate the species and raise money for one of their partner charities, Proyecto Titi.

The charity works to preserve Colombia’s ecosystem, with a particular focus on cotton-top tamarins.