Leontopithecus rosalia, common name golden lion tamarin (GLT), are small monkeys native to the coastal rain forests of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. But their forests are disappearing fast (98% gone since 1850, according to the World Conservation Monitoring Center) to make way for "development" and the tamarins are disappearing with them. There are three other species of tamarin native only to Brazil: the black tamarin, the black-faced tamarin, and the golden-headed tamarin. All have playful temperaments and thus have also fallen victim to illegal trade in exotic pets since the banning of legal exportation in 1967 (www.selu.com...). All are now considered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to be critically endangered. Less than 8,000 square miles of their original 400,000 square mile habitat remains intact and only 200 GLTs were surviving in the wild in 1983 when conservation biologist Dr. Jim Dietz began his studies in Brazil.
Preservation efforts have focused on the Poco das Antas ("pool of tapirs") Biological Reserve, run by Brazil’s Institute for the Environment and Renewable Resources (Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiete-- IBMA). The reserve is a 13,000 acre patch of forest, swamp and grassland that is the largest stretch of untouched forest within the tamarins’ range. Poco das Antas was home to as few as 75 individuals before efforts began in 1974; now there are 350 (www.endangered...). Also a new haven for the wild tamarin population is Fazenda Uniao, a 5,900 acre reserve run by Brazil’s formerly government-run railroad company, which has received 23 tamarins from depleted forest areas since 1991 (Cohn 28).
Zoos are by no means adequate replacement for the natural habitat of any species. But they often contribute knowledge, staff members, and money to conservation efforts. And, besides education, they provide controlled breeding ground to maintain a dwindling population at the highest possible genetic diversity until such time as they can be returned to the wild. In 1973, U.S. zoos housed only 70 GLTs; now there are 480 in 140 zoos around the world (Kierulff 101), many of whom are approaching reintroduction. Since 1985, 141 have been released into the wild (www.wcmc.org...), and their descendants have developed into a significant portion of the wild population (Cohn 29).
Though adjusting to the wild can be difficult for a captive-born animal, careful training and monitoring in the initial stages of reintroduction increase chances of survival. Most captive-born GLTs are released onto privately owned farms and ranches, called fazendas, outside the national reserves, totaling 140 individuals on more than 6,600 scattered acres of forest that previously had none, according to the most recent count of Benjamin Beck, the National Zoo’s associate director for biological programs. But these isolated patches of wildlife generally decrease resource and mate availability. To remedy this, tree corridors, funded by a $350,000 grant from Germany and the World Wildlife Fund, are going to be planted to connect Poco das Antas and the farms so that animals will be able to move freely from one area to another.
Intensive environmental awareness education efforts were launched in Brazil targeting both urban and rural populations. Researchers, farmers, and the government cooperated and a successful plan was implemented to save a fragile species. The goal of the reintroduction program was not only saving the monkey but also the many hundreds of other species that share its habitat as well as the forest itself. Local public leaders, school teachers and residents all joined together to save the forest, word being spread through school plays, education kits and town parades sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund and organized by LouAnn Dietz. Urban areas were reached and convinced that endangered tamarins are not pets by radio and television announcements.
The public attention this program has generated has brought to the forefront of international business the plight of species and environments that need protecting worldwide. So the golden lion tamarin has become the symbol for wildlife conservation and habitat protection on a greater scale. Only when we stop having natural areas and other species be our "resources" will they be able to just be. It can be done, it must be done, and we can do it.
The last word on ignorance is that man who says of an animal or plant: ‘What good is it?’
Aldo Leopold, 1887-1948. From "The Round River"
French, JA, Inglett, BJ and Dethlefs, TM. The reproductive status of nonbreeding group members in captive golden lion tamarin social groups. "American Journal of Primatology." 1989, v18 n2. Pp. 73-86.
Kierulff, MCM and DeOliveira, PP. Re-assessing the status and conservation of the golden lion tamarin Leontopithecus rosalia in the wild. "Dodo- Journal of the Wildlife Preservation Trusts." 1996, v 32. Pp. 98-115.
Ruiz, JC. Comparison of affiliative behavior between old and recently established pairs of golden lion tamarins. "Primates." April 1990, v31 n2. Pp. 197-204.
Http://estel.uindy.edu/outReach/guestSchools/indyzoo/vz/quotes.html
Http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~cait/
Http://www.endangeredspecie.com/
Http://www.selu.com/~bio/cauz/links/endangered.html
Http://www.wcmc.org.uk/data/database/rl_anml_combo.html