Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire, England, has announced the birth of twin cotton-top tamarins, one of the most endangered primates in the world. The zoo published the news on August 26, 2026, alongside the birth of a single coppery titi monkey.
Cotton-top tamarins are listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Twycross puts the remaining wild population at about 2,000 mature adults, all of them in the tropical forests of northwestern Colombia.
Why does a pair of tamarins matter?
Because there are so few of them, and because the number is still going the wrong way.
“We’re thrilled at the birth of our two cotton-top tamarins, and it marks another milestone in our conservation mission,” said Matt Ford, Primate Curator at Twycross Zoo. “The species is Critically Endangered and it’s believed there’s only 2000 remaining in the wild. This number is continuing to decline as their native habitat becomes severely damaged by human action, making this ex-situ conservation work vital to safeguarding the species from extinction.”
Ex situ is the term for conservation work done outside an animal’s natural range: breeding programs in zoos, seed banks, populations held in reserve against the day the wild habitat can support them again. It is the opposite of in situ work, which happens in the forest itself. For a species down to roughly two thousand adults in one corner of one country, the zoo population is not a consolation prize. It is the backup copy.
The fathers do the carrying
Cotton-top tamarins commonly give birth to twins, and in this species the father is the primary caregiver. He carries the infants for their first few months and hands them to the mother only to nurse. It is an unusual arrangement among primates, and a demanding one for a monkey this small.
Twycross introduced cotton-top tamarins to its collection in 2025, so this is an early result from a young group rather than a long-established breeding line. The zoo did not give the date of birth or the sexes of the twins.
The second birth
The same announcement carried a coppery titi monkey, born to a mother named Sirena who was herself born at Twycross in 2010 and has been at the zoo ever since.
“The birth of the coppery titi monkey is exceptionally special, as the mother Sirena was born at Twycross Zoo back in 2010 and has been cared for by our amazing team of keepers ever since,” Ford said.
Coppery titi monkeys come from the rainforests of northwestern Brazil and eastern Peru. Twycross describes them as not yet endangered but under pressure from bushmeat hunting and the illegal pet trade. They are known for exceptionally strong pair bonds, spending long stretches grooming and sitting pressed together with a lifelong mate, and here too the father carries the infant, in this case for its first six months.
Where this fits
Cotton-top tamarin births are rare enough on either side of the Atlantic to be worth reporting when they happen. San Antonio Zoo announced twins of its own in April 2026, and the two births belong to the same international effort to hold a genetically healthy population in human care while the Colombian forest shrinks.
Twycross Zoo is operated by the Twycross Global Conservation Society, a registered charity. The zoo did not state a public debut date for either infant, and did not name the twins.
Source: Twycross Zoo, August 26, 2026.
Quick answers
- What was born at Twycross Zoo?
Twin cotton-top tamarins and a single coppery titi monkey. The zoo announced both on August 26, 2026, and did not give birth dates, sexes or names.
- How endangered is the cotton-top tamarin?
It is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Twycross puts the wild population at about 2,000 mature adults, all in northwestern Colombia, and says the number is still falling.
- Why do the fathers carry the babies?
Cotton-top tamarins usually have twins, and the male is the primary caregiver. He carries both infants for their first few months and hands them to the mother only to nurse. Coppery titi fathers do the same for about six months.
- How long has Twycross kept cotton-top tamarins?
Since 2025. The zoo introduced the species as part of its ex situ conservation work, so these twins come from a young group rather than an established breeding line.
