Competition to Name Critically Endangered Twin Baby Monkeys

Two baby cotton-top tamarins have been born at the award-winning Drusillas Park in East Sussex, and are now starting to explore the world whilst clinging tightly to their father’s back.

As these tiny bundles of mischief start to explore, play and interact a little more, Zoo Keepers want to give the double act some suitable names and are calling for the public to help.

Drusillas is launching a competition at 7pm on Friday 5th October to name the cheeky little monkeys. The twins are inseparable so the zoo wants to give them names that pair up well together, e.g. Cheese & Onion, Marsh & Mallow or Kiss & Cuddles.

All name suggestions must be gender neutral as the monkeys are too young to sex at the moment, so keepers won’t be able to determine their gender for quite some time. Anyone who wants to be in with a chance of winning should go to the Drusillas Facebook Page for details of how to enter www.facebook.com/drusillaspark. The competition will be closing on Friday 12th October at 1pm.

Cotton-top tamarins are one of the most endangered primates in South America, so the news of their birth has been very exciting indeed.

Mum, Florencia and Dad, Pasto welcomed the twins at the beginning of September, making the twins their second set to be born in 2018! The new babies were kept closely protected for the first few weeks but now they have begun to grow, mum and dad have started to show their little ones off, proudly parading them around on their backs.

The cheeky little monkeys have always been a popular attraction at the zoo and the two tiny fluff balls have been delighting visitors and making excellent progress. Two adorable faces can be easily spotted now, peering over their father’s fur as he jumps across the branches.

Newborn tamarins are carried around by their father, and only handed over to their mother when they need to feed. Cotton-top tamarins are able to explore their surroundings at around 3-weeks of age; but they are often still carried around until they are nearly 2 months old, with siblings often helping out as the babies grow.

Head Keeper, Mark Kenward, commented: “We are absolutely thrilled with our new arrivals. These little monkeys face serious threat in the wild, and we are in great danger of losing this wonderful and captivating species altogether. We are just ecstatic that the twins have been born. We can’t wait to see some of the name suggestions from the public for the cheeky pair!”