A fluffy, critically endangered baby cotton-top tamarin is protectively carried around by dad, Leo.
(Picture: Chester Zoo)Chester Zoo has welcomed the birth of a tiny cotton-top tamarin monkey - the first of its kind in 22 years.
The mini monkey arrived, to first time parents Treat and Leo, and measured just 10cm from head to tail, weighing a mere 40g at birth.
The species has a striking white mohawk hairstyle with poachers attracted by their punk-rock look, making them popular in the illegal wildlife trade.
Zookeepers said the species are now extremely endangered in their native Colombia with only 5 per cent of their original habitat intact due to mass deforestation. Only around 2,00 remain in the wild.
Zookeeper Siobhan Ward said: “We strongly suspected that the mother, Treat, was pregnant from regular monitoring of her weight and seeing her belly swell. But it was a fantastic surprise nonetheless to see a tiny little ball of fluff clinging onto her back one morning.
“It’s a little too tiny and a bit early on to determine its gender at the moment.”
Nick Davis, the zoo’s deputy curator of mammals, said their striking appearance “tends to draw poachers” and their wild habitats have been destroyed by commercial logging.
He said: “It wasn’t that long ago that these miniature primates were seen as quite a common species, so their dramatic demise over the last few years shows just how a species thought to be safe can change so rapidly.
“Due to their complex social and environmental needs, cotton-top tamarins should never be kept as pets. They’re highly intelligent animals that can live for around 25 years when safe in zoos.”
