A pair of “exceptionally rare” twin monkeys have been born at Chester Zoo, and they’re helping to safeguard their species from extinction.
The UK’s biggest charity zoo’s new duo are cotton-top tamarin monkeys, and they arrived to parents, Leo and Treat, following a five-month pregnancy, weighing just 40g at birth and measuring only 10cm from their heads to the tips of their tails.
Keepers at Chester Zoo have compared the twins to “the size of “golf balls”.
Called cotton-top tamarins due to their striking mane of white fur that starts at their forehead and runs over their shoulders, resembling a fluffy cotton ball, conservations say these monkeys are “instantly-recognisable” for their unique appearance.
The miniature monkeys are native to a small area in northern Colombia, where sadly only 5% of their original habitat remains intact due to mass logging for the agriculture, paper, and timber industries.
Unfortunately though, due to their “instantly-recognisable” appearance, this has led to a major decline in numbers, Chester Zoo has revealed, as they are often captured for the illegal wildlife trade and sold as pets.
As a result, the species is listed as ‘critically endangered’ on the International Union of Conservation and Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of the world’s most threatened species, as it’s estimated that just 2,000 remain in the wild.
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This makes them one of the rarest primate species on Earth.
“It’s wonderful to see the two tiny babies clinging to mum and dad as they leap from tree to tree,” explained Mike Jordan, who is the Animal and Plant Director at Chester Zoo.
“When cotton-top tamarins are born, they look just like adults, except they’re even teenier – around the size of golf balls.
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“Mum and dad have been sharing parental duties, and as a result the little ones are both thriving. It’s still early days, so the babies are too tiny for us to confidently determine if each of them is male or female but, in a few months time, we’ll know for sure when they grow in confidence and start to branch out and explore the treetops on their own.”
Conservationists at Chester Zoo are part of a Europe-wide plan to prevent the species from disappearing altogether.
Featured Image – Chester Zoo
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A popular Manchester bar is giving away hundreds of FREE beers next week
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most popular city centre bars is set to give away hundreds of free beers for just two days only.
And it’s all to celebrate the long-awaited return of Oktoberfest.
In case you hadn’t heard, Manchester is gearing up for a two-week “Bavarian extravaganza” starting at the end of this month, as popular city centre hangout, Albert’s Schloss, unveiled its programme of Oktoberfest-themed events a couple of weeks back, and it’s packed with plenty of bier-fuelled fun, foodie classics, and round-the-clock revelry.
The much-loved venue has become “the ultimate purveyor of Bavarian bliss” in Manchester over the years, and 2024 is expected to be absolutely no different.
Revellers are invited to head on down to Schloss for a whirlwind of celebrations.
Throughout the 16-day event, which is kicking off from next Thursday 26 September, you can get stuck into everything from ‘Keg Tapping’, and sipping specially-selected beers, to experiencing must-see “eclectic” entertainment, a live Oompah brass band, best dressed competitions, and a whole host of other games and activities.
But it wouldn’t be Oktoberfest without the beer, right? Or should we say, ‘bier’.
Luckily, Albert’s Schloss will be serving Munich’s ‘Big Six’, making it the only venue in Manchester to serve all six of the legitimate Oktoberfest beers synonymous with the festival this year.
Annual Oktoberfest celebrations are returning to Manchester with a two-week ‘Bavarian extravaganza’ / Credit: Supplied
To celebrate the festivities in true Bavarian style too, Schloss will be giving away 100 free biers to the first 100 guests through the door on both Thursday 26 September and Thursday 3 October.
Eager bier-lovers will need to be ready to enter the venue from 5pm on both Thursdays if they want be in with the chance of getting to sip on a pint of Höfbrauhaus, Löwenbräu, Augustinerbräu, Paulaner, Hacker-Pschorr, or Spaten-Franziskaner from the classic lineup, all without having to spend a single penny.
Schloss’ beloved Cook Haus will also be offering Oktoberfest classics too, like crispy Bavarian Schweinshaxe pork knuckle, and a whole section dedicated to Schnitzels and the traditional Bratwurst.
Oktoberfest 2024 is running at Albert’s Schloss Manchester from Saturday 21 September – Sunday 6 October, and you can find out more on the venue’s website here.
Featured Image – Supplied
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Johnny Marr denies Morrissey’s claims about obtaining ‘100%’ of The Smiths trademark
Danny Jones
Johnny Marr has come out to deny the claims made by former bandmate Morrissey that he now controls “100%” of the rights to The Smiths trademark and intellectual property.
In case you missed it, earlier this week Morrissey came out with a statement detailing how Marr had recently obtained “100% trademark rights/intellectual property” and can now tour without him.
Fans were already enjoying drumming up suggestions for singers who could take the iconic frontman’s place on stage but don’t get too carried away, as the former lead guitarist has already come out to refute the allegations.
As per a lengthy statement on his social media accounts, Marr not only rubbishes the rumours that any temporary singer or plans to tour are on the cards but explains that ownership of The Smiths right is still shared with Morrissey – he just simply hasn’t signed a document yet.
A spokesperson for Marr writes: “In 2018, following an attempt by a third party to use the Smiths’ name – and upon discovery that the trademark was not owned by the band – Marr reached out to Morrissey, via his representatives, to work together in protecting the Smiths’ name.
“A failure to respond led Marr to register the trademark himself. It was subsequently agreed with Morrissey’s lawyers that this trademark was held for the mutual benefit of Morrissey and Marr.
As a gesture of goodwill, in January 2024, Marr signed an assignment of joint ownership to Morrissey. Execution of this document still requires Morrissey to sign.”
Responding personally via his representation, the 60-year-old added: “To prevent third parties from profiting from the band’s name, it was left to me to protect the legacy. This I have done on behalf of both myself and my former bandmates.”
He also cleared up more claims made by Morrissey, who said the pair had both been met with a potential and ‘lucrative’ deal to tour together as The Smiths once again, to which Marr has now clarified: “I didn’t ignore the offer; I said no.” At the risk of pointing out the obvious by the way…
hate to break it to Morrissey but Marr has been doing this for years already https://t.co/FL6cGGTZO4
So no, while it might have been registered by Marr and his team, he doesn’t own all of the rights to The Smiths; in actuality, it looks as though the Manchester music legend took steps to make sure that both he and Morrissey maintained shared ownership.
Presuming this response clears up all the speculation surrounding the trademark, the 65-year-old could seemingly have avoided all of this by simply giving his signature and completing the document.
Put it this way, if you were somehow holding out hope for an Oasis AND a Smiths reunion, we wouldn’t hold our breaths…