The Golden Lion Tamarin Returns From Extinction

Weighing less than 1.5 pounds, and sporting a mane reminiscent of Africa’s great cats, the tamarin’s survival is particularly perilous. With only 2% of their original habitat remaining, they live in isolated groups in a patchwork of small forests, unable to move and they are facing new challenges.

Succumbing to deforestation and collection for the pet trade, this charismatic species had dwindled to 200 individuals in the wild by the late 1960’s – basically one catastrophe short of extinction. 

One Forest is Their Entire World

The Atlantic Forest of Brazil is the only place on earth you will find the golden lion tamarin. These endemic primates thrive in these wet forests. In fact, without adequate habitat, they simply won’t have a sustainable future in the wild. 

Once more than a million square kilometers of dense tropical forest stretching from southeastern Paraguay and northern Argentina along the Brazilian coast to just south of the equator, the Atlantic Forest is barely recognizable today.

Centuries of exploitation and population growth have whittled away 95% of this majestic and ancient forest.

Their Heroic struggle

With the wild population disappearing, the tamarins got an unexpected reprieve in the early 1980’s. This second chance was thanks to an ambitious captive breeding and reintroduction program. Working together, zoos around the world carefully managed the captive population genetics. At the same time, ecologists studied habitat, and educators worked with local communities.

By 2007, the reintroduction stalled. Simply put, there wasn’t enough forest for any more tamarins. That’s when the team at Saving Nature stepped in to help changed that. Coupled with the efforts to breed tamarins, we brought expertise in connecting, protecting, and restoring critical forest fragments. Importantly, by making these connections, isolated tamarins would have access to larger forest expanses capable of supporting viable populations.

Our goal was ambitious – to reverse the damage of increasing forest fragmentation and save this irreplaceable primate. To do so, we partnered with Associação Mico-Leão Dourado (AMLD) to create connected lowland habitat that would sustain a viable population. By 2016, the collective effort got results, with their population growing steadily. 

 

Today, the work continues as the challenges to resiliency confronting small populations compound. Sadly, ongoing habitat loss, expanding development, genetic drift, and anthropogenic diseases have reversed some of the gains. But don’t count this tenacious primate out just yet.  As support grows, so do their prospects for a sustainable, a third were descendants of those raised in human care.

Saving Golden Lion Tamarins

What We Are Doing To Help
DOB Ecology Logo

This ambitious project would not have possible by the generous support of DOB Ecology, a charitable foundation based in the Netherlands. Their support for conservation projects in Latin American and Sub-Saharan Africa makes an incredible difference for biodiversity. Their concern for the Atlantic Forest of Brazil made it possible to capitalize on this unique opportunity. Together, we are amplifying AMLD’s progress from two decades of work to secure a future for these tenacious primates.

help SAVE THE GOLDEN LION TAMARIN

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