Ecobreves – COLOMBIA: Danger for Cotton-Top Tamarin Monkey

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

BOGOTA, Jun 1 2002 (IPS) - The zoo in the northern city of Barranquilla has launched a campaign to reverse the process of extinction of the tití monkey (Saguinus oedipus), or cotton-top tamarin, a species unique to the Colombian Caribbean region. The tiny monkey that inhabits arid and tropical forests faces intense hunting and is sold as a pet, but also suffers the deterioration of its habitat.

The campaign includes educational programs about the important role and value of the species, and is sponsored by Colombian environmental groups and by the zoos in the U.S. cities of Pittsburgh and Cleveland.