The Green Planet, an indoor rainforest in Dubai has announced the birth of Cotton-Top Tamarin twins.
Cotton-Top Tamarins can be found in the northwest corner of Columbia and are small monkeys that weigh about 0.5 kg.
Their species is critically endangered with only 5% of their geographic range remaining in the wild due to deforestation.
Cotton-Top Tamarins are known for their cooperative breeding and parenting with the community also coming to take care of the young babies.
They enjoy sweet tropical fruit and are very vocal animals which can sometimes be too high for a human to listen to.
Victoria Lyn, General Manager of Attractions Leisure and Entertainment at Dubai Holding said, "Cotton-Top Tamarins historically play an important role in seed dispersal and fertilisation within the forest - making them a vital part of the rainforest ecosystem. However, in the early 60s and 70s, Cotton-Top Tamarins were often exported in their thousands to the US for medical testing related to colon cancer treatment. Along with this, deforestation and human activity has unfortunately meant that their population has rapidly declined in the wild. Through our conservation breeding program, like many around the world, we hope that we can help support in re-building a healthy population of the species."
