Visit the critically endangered species - black bush-tailed monkeys and cotton-top tamarin cubs

On December 16, at the "Ape Universe" monkey special exhibition in Chimelong Safari Park, the rare black bush-tailed monkey cub met with tourists for the first time. It is reported that the black bush-tailed monkey is on the verge of extinction due to its small number. In 2008, it was listed in the Red List of Endangered Species of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) as Critically Endangered (CR). The Chimelong Primate Research Center successfully bred the critically endangered monkey this time, accumulating rich experience in protection and raising cubs.

The handsome monkey with middle part, "Cong Cong" appears

In the Qinglongshan Animal Kindergarten exhibition area of ​​Chimelong Safari Park, the keeper brought out the newly born black bush-tailed monkey baby "Congcong" to meet the tourists. Congcong has black hair and has just grown the iconic "middle-parted" hairstyle of black bush-tailed monkeys. He is very cute in the keeper's arms. Because he is too shy, Congcong buries his face in the keeper's arms, and occasionally sneaks around through the gap. The tourists on the scene are "fallen" by this cautious look. According to the keeper, Congcong was born on July 22 this year. He weighed about 200 grams when he was born. He is a male black bush-tailed monkey and currently weighs about 462 grams.

In addition, the reporter also saw the cute "Cotton-top Tamarin" monkey, which is also a critically endangered species of the IUCN. It is a strong and healthy male baby born in mid-July this year. It is reported that "Cotton-top Tamarin" monkeys are very easy to give birth to twins, but this newborn "Cotton-top Tamarin" monkey was too big and was just a single birth.

Black bush-tailed monkeys are mainly distributed in the Amazon River Basin of Brazil. They are one of the most distinctive primates in South America. Adult black bush-tailed monkeys not only have a peculiar "middle-parted" hairstyle, but also have thick and thick beards, which are impressive. Although they look "mature", black bush-tailed monkeys are very small. Even adult males weigh only about 3.1 kilograms, which is the size of a newborn human baby. However, their big tails like dusters will wag their tails like dogs when they are excited, which is very interesting.

Six meals a day, grow strong

At the event, Chimelong's conservation team prepared today's food for Congcong. Congcong is less than half a year old and still mainly feeds on artificial emulsion made from milk powder. The caregivers also crush and stir nutritious fruits and vegetables such as apples, beans, and guavas as Congcong's complementary food. It is understood that in order to ensure that Congcong has adequate nutrition, the caregivers have to feed him 6 meals a day. As Congcong grows older, the number of feeding meals will gradually decrease, and the amount of fruit and vegetable complementary food will be increased until it is completely weaned at the age of 1. Primates have more hair, which is also an important organ for them to keep warm and resist mosquitoes. Our nutrition experts have found through research that more than 35% of the protein absorbed by black bush-tailed monkeys is used to maintain hair growth and metabolism. Therefore, increasing the proportion and content of methionine and unsaturated fatty acids in milk is important for promoting their overall health.

According to Chen Siming, a conservation expert at Chimelong Safari Park, the Chimelong Primate Research Center takes great care of Congcong's daily life. In the wild, black bush-tailed monkeys live in tropical forests and shrub grasslands in South America, where temperatures are high, and prefer hot and humid environments. In order to make Congcong and other black bush-tailed monkeys live comfortably, Chimelong has carefully built a constant temperature and humidity system to regulate the temperature of the exhibition area, and adjusted the vegetation coverage of the exhibition area to simulate the natural living space of black bush-tailed monkeys.

At the same time, in view of the characteristics of the black bush-tailed monkeys as social animals, the Chimelong conservation team raised a Brazilian night monkey of similar age with Cong Cong, so that the little monkeys can get familiar with group life in advance. Interestingly, because the black bush-tailed monkeys are shy and timid, the Brazilian night monkey always lies on Cong Cong's back and takes the initiative to play with it.

Ms. Jiang from Huizhou said in an interview with reporters, "It was only after visiting Chimelong Safari Park that I realized there are so many kinds of monkeys. I learned a lot!"

Zhang Xueli, general manager of Chimelong Safari Park, said that it is precisely because of the careful care of the Chimelong conservation team that the population of black bush-tailed monkeys and other primates in Chimelong has continued to grow. At present, Chimelong already has the largest number of primate conservation populations in the world. At this "Ape Universe" monkey special exhibition, about 58 species and 120 monkey families, including black bush-tailed monkeys, Sichuan golden monkeys, colorful leaf monkeys, spider monkeys, gibbons, Brazilian night monkeys, and orangutans, will meet with tourists, allowing tourists to see many rare primates in the world. While playing, there are many interesting science explanation schools such as the Jungle Discovery School, the Chimpanzee School, the Black-capped Monkey Enrichment School, and the Night Monkey School for children to participate in for free. Come and sign up!

In order to provide these clever little guys with the most comfortable living environment, the Chimelong Primate Research Center has established a complete set of primate conservation technology reserves from scratch, including habitat construction technology, nutrition and feed technology, biosafety and disease prevention and control technology, to ensure the healthy growth of animals. Thanks to the efforts of the Chimelong scientific research team, an average of more than 150 primates are born here each year. Over the years, many rare primates have been protected, including proboscis monkeys, black and white colobus monkeys, black-legged white-rumped leaf monkeys, cotton-top tamarins, and siamangs, which have been successfully bred one after another, making the population of many primate species expand year by year, forming the world's largest primate seed source gene bank.