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Endangered small monkey siblings star in new rain forest exhibit at Akron Zoo
By Bill Lilley
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Monday, Aug 25, 2008
The recent arrival of a brother and sister from Brazil is attracting attention to the new rain forest exhibit in the Komodo Kingdom at the Akron Zoo.
The siblings are golden lion tamarins, a critically endangered species. There are fewer than 500 of the animals in zoos worldwide and 1,500 in their native habitat.
This is the first time there have been golden lion tamarins at the zoo, which has a couple of other new species: three stingrays in Komodo Kingdom and an armadillo.
''The rain forest exhibit has quickly become a very popular new exhibit,'' said David Barnhardt, the zoo's marketing director. ''The exhibit is very fascinating because it's a multiple-species exhibit with the stingrays, turtles and fish in the water along with the golden lion tamarins and birds on land.
''There is a lot of activity all of the time, and kids really get excited because they can get up so close to the exhibits. They love seeing the stingrays and the other fish swim under water right in front of them.''
Barnhardt said the big appeal of the golden lion tamarin is its unique look. The small, squirrel-size monkeys are about 15 inches long with a 10- to 15-inch tail.
''We've had pied and cotton-top tamarins at the Akron Zoo before, but never the golden lion,'' Barnhardt said. ''The golden lion tamarin is not like anything anybody has seen before.''
The species lives in trees along the coast of Brazil. Habitat destruction through logging, farming and urbanization has placed it on the endangered list and in the Species Survival Plan by zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums.
The two golden lion tamarins at the Akron Zoo were born in 2004. They have a life expectancy of 15 years in captivity.
The armadillo is in the Wild Prairie area, which features a pop-up bubble where visitors can get a close look at one of the zoo's newest residents.
Barnhardt said additional armadillos are expected in the near future.
All three of the new species will be on permanent exhibit, he said.
Bill Lilley can be reached at 330-996-3811 or blilley@thebeaconjournal.com.
The recent arrival of a brother and sister from Brazil is attracting attention to the new rain forest exhibit in the Komodo Kingdom at the Akron Zoo.
Get the full article here.
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