Tough decisions at Utica Zoo following tamarin family tragedy, re-certification process

For years, a family of cotton-top tamarins entertained visitors to the Utica Zoo and viewers of their exhibit’s live webcam.

But dad Brutus, 15, died in 2020. And his sons Sawyer and Tom, about 17 years old, died a few weeks apart in September of this year, possibly of rare, hereditary tumors. (Necropsy results aren’t back yet.)

That left mom Dharma all alone in her exhibit in the zoo’s Scales & Tails Wildlife Hall. When her sons first died, zoo officials talked about looking for a new companion for her.

The good news is that Dharma, who is about 19 years old, will have companionship again; the sad news is that it won’t be in Utica. She has left for a wildlife sanctuary, the zoo announced Thursday.

And, as the zoo embarks on a plan to remodel wildlife hall, it’s decided to decommission the cotton-top tamarin exhibit. The decision is all part of a zoo’s circle of life as it renovates and upgrades to create the best possible home for the animals still in its care and, in the case of the Utica Zoo, prepares for its re-application for certification by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums this year.

"After completing a well-being assessment for Dharma and following the guidance to not house a lone primate,” Executive Director Andria Heath said in a statement, “the Utica Zoo animal care leadership team carefully considered the options for the animals in the Wildlife Hall. While she will be greatly missed, we find comfort in knowing that this decision is made in the interest of Dharma’s welfare."

Wildlife Hall currently has 10 exhibits, most of them housing reptiles, including Burmese pythons and turtles. Some will remain at the Utica Zoo and some will be relocated to other zoos and animal institutions, officials said.

But the zoo has also welcomed some new animals this year, including two female ostriches (who join male Boomer); baby white-handed gibbon Dooku born to parents Yoda and Snowflake in January; and river otters Briar and Lily, who moved into a converted sea lion habitat in July.

First accredited in 2018, the zoo is one of just 237 zoos, safari parks, animal parks, aquariums and other entities that care for animals to receive accreditation from among 2,800 organizations that could apply, according to the zoo.

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Zoo officials have highlighted a number of recent and in-the-works improvements undertaken in anticipation of this year’s application:

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• The white-handed gibbon and spider monkey exhibits were renovated in 2018.

• Three African painted dogs — Charlie, Ada and Rosie, all females — arrived at the zoo in 2020.

• The zoo built a new barn and outside holding area in 2021 to get ready for the arrival of pregnant Hartmann’s mountain zebra Zecora, who gave birth to daughter Zara at the zoo in July of last year. The zoo also has a male zebra, Rundu.

• A new, 5,000-square-foot visitor center with an expanded gift shop, restrooms, an atrium and a classroom opened in April.

• By the end of the year, Joey and Buttercup, female African crested porcupines, will have a new habitat.

First accredited in 2018, the zoo is one of just 237 zoos, safari parks, animal parks, aquariums and other entities that care for animals to receive accreditation from among 2,800 organizations that could apply, according to the zoo.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Utica Zoo seeking re-certification: last cotton-top tamarin gone