Brooklyn , NY – June 10, 2010 – Today, the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Prospect Park Zoo debuted twin baby Geoffrey’s tamarins that were born just in time for Father’s Day.  Despite their physical size, they are big news for WCS’s Prospect Park Zoo.

These precious primates are less than six inches long and sport adorable scrunched-up faces. They don’t stray too far from mom and dad and the father often provides a much needed break for his mate as he gives piggyback rides to the tykes.
 
Although they are still too young for zoo keepers to identify the gender of the baby tamarins, both keepers and zoo-goers are enjoying the new arrivals.  The babies are adjusting nicely to their new environment in their naturalistic forest setting in the zoo’s Animal Lifestyles building.
 
As a special treat for Father’s Day, the zoo is asking for help naming the twins. Everyone is invited to participate by visiting the zoo’s website at www.prospectparkzoo.com. Name submissions will be taken online from Friday, June 11 through Friday, June 18. The winning names will be announced on Father’s Day, Sunday June 20.
 
Geoffrey’s tamarins are native to South America and live in groups that can have as many as 20 members. All troop members help care for the young, including males. Like other tamarins, Geoffrey’s tamarins are arboreal, so they depend upon healthy forests for food and survival.
 
Unfortunately, healthy forests in central and eastern Panama and Columbia are getting harder to come by for this species. Deforestation and other types of habitat loss are putting monkey species in serious peril in the wild. In an effort to protect the tamarin and other regional primates, WCS works in these native lands to reconcile human development needs with wildlife and wild land conservation.  

Photo Credit: Julie Larsen Maher © Wildlife Conservation Society
Video Credit: Luke Groskin © Wildlife Conversation Society

Contact:
Fran Hackett - 718-265-3428; 718-399-7339; fhackett@wcs.org