Roger Williams Park Zoo's new residents may help save their species
The Roger Williams Park Zoo has three new residents, small animals that could play an outsized role in the recovery of their endangered species.
The Providence zoo last week announced the birth of twin golden lion tamarins and the arrival of a red panda from another zoo. Both species are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan Program to maintain healthy and diverse populations.
"Golden lion tamarins are a critically endangered species, so every birth of a healthy baby is incredibly significant and considered a win for the species," the zoo said on Facebook.
There are only about 2,500 golden lion tamarins in the wild, but the number was even lower in the 1970s, with just 200 in the wild, according to the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
"Intensive conservation efforts" have helped them recover and about a third of the golden lion tamarins in the wild are descendants of those raised by humans, according to the Smithsonian.
The zoo's newest pair, Hildreth and Colin, were born April 26. Their mother is Raff and their dad is Kyle.
"A striking species, golden lion tamarins are small, social South America primates with a magnificent reddish-gold coat and a long, backswept mane," the Smithsonian says.
Growing to only 6 to 10 inches, with long tails, and weighing little more than a pound, golden lion tamarins are monkeys that live in the coastal regions of southeastern Brazil, up in the forest's closed canopy high off the ground.
"As with other lion tamarins, golden lion tamarins are a social species. In the wild, they live in groups of two to eight family members. The groups comprise a breeding pair, offspring of one or two litters and possibly other relatives," the Smithsonian says. "Golden lion tamarins groom much like other primates. The juveniles play, chasing and wrestling with each other."
The zoo says, "You can now visit the twins, along with mom Raff and the rest of the GLT family, whizzing around our Faces of the Forest" exhibit.
Roger Williams Park Zoo adds Zan, 3-year-old red panda
Another new resident is Zan, a 3-year-old red panda. She joins red panda Rusty, who's been alone since the death last fall of Sha-Lei. Zan came from the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle.
Since Rusty is older, it's unlikely he and Zan will reproduce. "As a part of our continued participation in the Species Survival Plan, the zoo hopes to eventually match Zan with a younger male companion in the future," spokeswoman Corrie Ignagni said.
Fewer than 10,000 red pandas live in the wild, according to estimates.
"Red pandas live in high-altitude, temperate forests with bamboo understories in the Himalayas and other high mountains," the Smithsonian says. "They range from northern Myanmar (Burma) to the west Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces of China. They are also found in suitable habitat in Nepal, India and Tibet."
Adults typically weight 8 to 17 pounds and are 22 to 24. 6 inches long, plus a long tail, according to the Smithsonian. Bamboo makes up 95% of their diet.
The zoo says visitors can see Zan and Rusty until mid-June, when reconstruction of their habitat will begin.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Roger Williams Park Zoo adds golden lion tamarins and a red panda
