ZooBorns

"Miracle Monkey" Delivers Twins Following Tragedy

Conchetta, a Cotton-Top Tamarin at Australia's Alma Park Zoo who survived a kidnapping two years ago, has become a mother to twin babies.

In 2010, Conchetta and her mate Tonta were stolen from the zoo.  Tragically, Tonta was killed. Conchetta remained missing for four months but was eventually returned to the zoo.  She was paired with a new mate, Manny, and when Conchetta had a single baby last year she was dubbed the "Miracle Monkey" by local media.  Then in November of 2012, Conchetta had twins.  Twins are common in Cotton-Top Tamarins.

Photo Credit:  Alma Park Zoo

At birth, the babies were only about three inches (7 cm) long.  They spent nearly all their time clinging to Conchetta's back or nursing.  They are just beginning to explore their surroundings.  

Cotton-Top Tamarins are native to a tiny portion of northern Colombia, where they inhabit mature rain forests.  They are considered to be one the world's 25 most endangered primates, due to intense logging, argiculture, and hydroelectric projects which are destroying their habitat.

Three Little Devils Are Hopeful Sign!

The Alma Park Zoo's baby Tasmanian Devils (Imps) are starting to make themselves known as they begin to venture out of the den with their mom, Lilith. All three are girls and what is even more remarkable is the fact they are all completely black. Devils usually have a white band across their chest or white across their rump, but not these girls. To have one completely black would be rare, to have three is quite exceptional.

These little imps are also significant as they are the great grand devils (children) of individuals with Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD) - but are of course disease free themselves. This means that they are unrelated to all other devils on the mainland and so play a vital role in the genetic diversity of the captive devil population.

Photo credit: Alma Park Zoo

The iconic Tasmanian Devil is at serious risk of extinction from the highly contagious Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD) and wild populations are disappearing fast.

In a bid to prevent extinction, Devils must be captive bred in facilities well away from the disease – these include mainland Australian zoos, and the unique Devil Ark, which consists of large free ranging natural enclosures.

Munching Baby Marmoset Makes Eyes at the Camera

Photographer and zoo visitor Wei snapped these shots of a precocious little baby Marmoset at Brisbane Australia's Alma Park Zoo. This little character is just over a month old but even adults stand only about 5 1/2 inches tall. The Common Marmoset is distributed throughout the Atlantic Coastal Forest in Northeast Brazil.

Photo Credits: Wei taken at Brisbane's Alma Park Zoo