Brooklyn, N.Y. – Feb. 4, 2014 – PHOTO: Two young Geoffroy’s marmosets (Callithrix geoffroyi) perch on a branch in their exhibit at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Prospect Park Zoo.

The twins were born to first-time parents who arrived at the Prospect Park Zoo last year. Gordon, a 2-year-old male, and Xing, a 3-year-old female, welcomed the infants in November. This is the first set of Geoffroy’s marmosets to be born at the zoo.

Geoffroy’s marmosets, also known as “white-fronted marmosets,” are native to small fragments of Atlantic rainforest in eastern Brazil. While the species is not endangered, they live in areas that are susceptible to deforestation. The Wildlife Conservation Society works within this species’ range and in many South American countries to reconcile human development needs with conservation.

The breeding of the species is part of the Species Survival Plan, a cooperative breeding program designed to enhance the genetic viability and demographic stability of animal populations in zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).

The birth of twins comes as no surprise, as females of the species typically produce two offspring. The family of four is on exhibit in the Animal in Our Lives building at the Prospect Park Zoo.

CONTACT:

Barbara Russo: 718-265-3428; brusso@wcs.org
Max Pulsinelli: 718-220-5182; mpulsinelli@wcs.org
Steve Fairchild: 718-220-5189; sfairchild@wcs.org
The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Prospect Park Zoo – $8.00 for adults, $6 for seniors 65 and older, $5 for kids 3-12, free for children under 3. Zoo hours are 10 A.M. to 5 P.M. weekdays, and to 5:30 P.M. on weekends and holidays, April through October. 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. November through March. The Prospect Park Zoo is located at 450 Flatbush Avenue in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. For further information, call 718-399-7339 or visit www.prospectparkzoo.com

Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
MISSION: WCS saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. VISION: WCS envisions a world where wildlife thrives in healthy lands and seas, valued by societies that embrace and benefit from the diversity and integrity of life on earth. To achieve our mission, WCS, based at the Bronx Zoo, harnesses the power of its Global Conservation Program in more than 60 nations and in all the world’s oceans and its five wildlife parks in New York City, visited by 4 million people annually. WCS combines its expertise in the field, zoos, and aquarium to achieve its conservation mission. Visit: www.wcs.org; facebook.com/TheWCS; youtube.com/user/WCSMedia; follow: @theWCS.

Note to the Media: If you would like to guide your readers or viewers to a Web link where they can make donations in support of helping save wildlife and wild places, please direct them to www.wcs.org.