Two Golden Lion Tamarins born March 13 at France’s La Palmyre Zoo are part of a worldwide program aimed at boosting the wild population.

Golden Lion Tamarins were on the brink of extinction in their native Brazilian rain forest in the 1980s.  Between 1984 and 2001, a worldwide consortium of 43 zoos, including La Palmyre Zoo, translocated 146 individuals to Brazil to bolster the wild population.  Thanks to this program, there are now more than 3,000 Golden Lion Tamarins in the wild, with about 1,000 of these being descendants of the zoo-born translocated animals. 

Photo Credit:  F. Perroux/La Palmyre Zoo

Zoo-born Tamarins are still translocated occasionally to reinforce some wild populations.  The program also includes protection of the forest corridor that the Tamarins rely on for survival.

Without the translocation of zoo-born Tamarins, Golden Lion Tamarins might be extinct in the wild today.

These tiny Monkeys travel through the forests in small family groups, feeding on fruit, nectar, tree gum, and small animals. 

Golden Lion Tamarins weigh only one to two pounds as adults.  At birth, babies weight about 8-10% of their mothers’ body weight.   They are listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.