New Town Zoo does first breeding of white-lipped Tamarin monkeys

Kolkata: Harinalaya, the mini zoo in New Town, executed the first successful breeding of White-lipped Tamarin (Saguinus Labiatus) among any other Indian zoo.

White-lipped Tamarin is a ‘New World Monkey’ that mainly inhabits Amazonian rainforest. At present, Harinalaya is the only zoo in Bengal that is housing this primate species. A pair was seized from Maynaguri in Jalpaiguri by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and handed over to North Bengal Wild Animals Park. They were brought to Harinalaya on January 8, 2023 for treatment. After the end of the two-month quarantine, the individuals are currently in housing areas enriched with different trees, play equipment, and feeding enrichments.

“We observed the reproductive behaviour and provided various necessary supplements along with the daily feed. Recently, this pair gave birth to two babies. It is special since this is the first zoo in India that has done successful breeding of White-lipped Tamarin,” a Forest department official said. The red belly of these monkeys is a unique characteristic. They are black and have a thin white moustache on its face and a black-brown back.