Tropiquaria breeds endangered monkey twins

A BREEDING programme at West Somerset zoo and adventure park Tropiquaria has produced two more babies of a critically endangered species of monkey.
The twin cotton-top tamarins were born at the Washford Cross visitor attraction a few days ago to parents Merry and Mungo.
Tropiquaria primate keeper Diane Bond said: “Mother, babies, and father are doing well.
“Father looks after the babies for most of the time, only handing the babies back to mother for feeding.”
Zoo director Chris Moiser said the situation in the wild was now looking bleak for tamarins as they were upgraded only last year from ‘endangered’ to ‘critically endangered’.
Mr Moiser said ‘critically endangered’ was the last classification before ‘extinct’.
He said: “The reason for this ‘upgrade’ is that they come from three relatively small reserves, each of which have lost significant portions of their monkey-friendly forests to development by rapidly growing local human populations.
“It is estimated that in the last 18 years the population has reduced by 80 per cent and that there are probably now only 6,000 individuals left in the wild, of which 2,000 are mature adults.
“Fortunately, these animals do remarkably well in captivity and there is now a very viable zoo population which could be used to enable re-introduction into the world should this ever become a viable possibility.”
More information about the tamarins and Tropiquaria’s breeding programme is available by calling Chris Moiser on 01984 640688.
Tropiquaria is currently open from 11 am to 4 pm at weekends and on Wednesdays.
School and group bookings are accepted on days when it is closed to the public.

• Our photograph shows tamarin father Mungo with the twin babies clinging to his back. Photo submitted.

Tropiquaria takes Christmas delivery of baby giant tortoises

FATHER Christmas delivered a present with a difference for one of West Somerset’s leading visitor attractions this year.
Six baby giant tortoises arrived at the Tropiquaria animal centre, at Washford Cross, just in time for Christmas.
The tortoises are currently only about five inches long, but during the next 30 years should grow to be more than two feet long and weigh nearly 16 stone (100 kgs).
They are African spurred tortoises, which are the third largest tortoise species in the world.
In the wild, they are found in a belt across the full width of Africa just south of the Sahara Desert.
They are currently rated in the conservation stakes as ‘vulnerable’.
Tropiquaria director Chris Moiser said there was currently a lot of opinion which suggested the species should be listed under the more worrying classification of ‘endangered’.
Mr Moiser said countries where the tortoises were found were all suffering climate change, some had civil wars going on, and many had rapidly rising populations where the domestic livestock competed with the tortoises for food.
In addition there had been illegal exports for the pet trade.
Mr Moiser said it all meant tortoise populations were becoming fragmented, and fragmentary populations could easily die out.
One recent estimate put the wild population at between 18,000 and 20,000 animals. Mr Moiser said: “So, as well as increasing the number of African species on display in our tropical hall, which was a long-term aim when Jane and I took over Tropiquaria, we have another species that needs nurturing in captivity as an insurance policy for the wild.
“Fortunately, these tortoises, given the right conditions, do breed well in zoos, and Tropiquaria’s six babies all came from a zoo in Yorkshire where they were bred.”
Tropiquaria senior keeper Becky Welsh said that she was delighted the giant tortoise species had been added to the centre’s collection
She said they were all were eating well and did not seem to be upset by the move from Yorkshire.
Quirky fact about the species:

• It has a role in desert edge ecology of mixing and fertilising the soil through its digging and defecation, respectively
• It spreads a number of seeds with its dung including the seeds of the date palm from which gum Arabic may be obtained, as well as dates
• The best known use of gum Arabic is making chewing gum

Our photograph shows Tropiquaria senior keeper Becky Welsh with one of the baby giant tortoises. Photo submitted.