Endangered golden lion tamarin baby born at Colchester Zoo
Mum, Freia and dad, Tree Trunks and the little one are all doing well
Colchester Zoological Society says it's delighted to announce that on 13th June 2025, female golden lion tamarin, Freia, gave birth to a single offspring.
Mum, Freia, arrived at CZS on 3rd December 2024 from Banham Zoo and Dad, Tree Trunks, arrived on 4th December 2024 from Jersey Zoo. The couple were introduced to one another as part of an EEP recommendation to form a monogamous pair.
From their first meeting, it was clear that they were smitten with each other.
Freia is an experienced mum having already welcomed five litters before arriving at CZS however, this is all very new for first-time dad, Tree Trunks. Both parents have been very attentive to the little one and Tree Trunks has been seen carrying the infant for brief periods.
In the first week of being born the infant was visibly growing bigger and often seen suckling from mum.
This species of tamarin can reach up to 40cm in length when fully grown and weigh a tiny 25oz
Infants are typically born very light in colour but start to develop a darker, silky, golden coat as they grow older. This can make it very difficult when trying to spot the new arrival clinging to mum or dad so be sure to take some time to look out for the new arrival.
This species is currently listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species due to habitat loss and collection for the pet trade. In the early 1970s, there were as few as 200 golden lion tamarins out in the wild. After intensive conservation efforts, the species extinction risk was lowered from Critically Endangered in 2003. As a result of this, around one third of the wild population today originates from golden lion tamarins raised in centres if conservation such as CZS. Therefore, this new arrival is amazing news for the conservation of this species out in the wild.