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.
ADVERTISEMENT
This makes them one of the rarest primate species on Earth.
Chester Zoo has announced the birth of some ‘exceptionally rare’ twin monkeys / Credit: Chester Zoo
“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.
ADVERTISEMENT
“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
Trending
Drinks prices revealed as Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub opens inside T2
Emily Sergeant
It’s official… Manchester Airport’s first-ever JD Wetherspoon pub has officially opened its doors inside Terminal 2.
The 300-seater pub – which welcomed its first customers earlier this week – is named The Belle Vue after Manchester’s historic showground.
Throughout the pub, you’ll spot design features that nod to the city’s sporting heritage – including vintage event posters and memorabilia, a ‘locker wall’ hosting trophies and other sporting exhibits, and a cricket-themed design in the carpets and bar panels.
Creating around 150 jobs in the process, The Belle Vue is the final planned new eatery to open in the airport’s redeveloped Terminal 2, marking one of the final steps in the super-terminal’s decade-long, £1.5bn transformation.
Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub has opened inside Terminal 2 / Credit: Supplied
According to the MEN, pints are priced from £6.20 for Carling and Coors lager, £6.45 for Budweiser, £6.60 for Guinness, and £6.70 for Poretti and 1664 Biere.
Prosecco is £9.20 for 175ml glass and £37.10 for the full bottle, while spirts and mixers are £6.80 for singles and £10.20 for doubles.
There’s also the classic Wetherspoons tea and coffee machines, where you can refill as many times as you like for just £3.60.
“It’s a proud moment to see the final new retail unit opening in our new-look Terminal 2,” commented Richard Jackson, who is the Retail Director at Manchester Airport.
“To be rounding off this 10-year programme by adding such an iconic name as Wetherspoon to the terminal is particularly special and we know that it will prove extremely popular with passengers. We think they’ll love the nods to Manchester’s heritage in the décor and design – and of course the name.”
The Belle Vue will be open from the first flight to the final flight each day, and food will be served from opening until 10pm.
Featured Image – Supplied
Trending
Iconic Manc movie 24 Hour Party People is set to return to cinemas for its anniversary
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most iconic movies is set to return to the big screen next month.
Remastered in 4K and returning to UK cinemas to mark 24 years since its original release, Michael Winterbottom’s 2002 biographical comedy drama film, 24 Hour Party People, tells the story of Manchester‘s popular music community from 1976 to 1992 – specifically about Factory Records‘ founder Tony Wilson.
The film begins with the punk rock era of the late 1970s, before moving through the 1980s into the rave and DJ culture, and of course, the ‘Madchester‘ scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The narrative largely follows the career of Tony Wilson, played by Middleton-born actor Steve Coogan, while also covering the careers of the major Factory Records artists – especially Joy Division and New Order, as well as A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, and Happy Mondays.
If you haven’t seen 24 Hour Party People before, it’s a dramatisation based on a combination of real events, rumours, and urban legends, as the film is sure to make clear.
Coogan is joined by a cast by a mixture of big names and, at the time, rising stars like Paddy Considine, Shirley Henderson, Lennie James, John Simm, Ralf Little, Andy Serkis, Sean Harris, John Thomson, and even Peter Kay, alongside cameos from other figures connected to the Manchester music scene.
Before it returns to cinemas, the film will first open music and media festival/conference, Beyond The Music, at MediaCity in Salford on 6 October.
The screening at the festival will also be followed by a Q&A with Coogan, Winterbottom, and producer Andrew Eaton.
24 Hour Party People will then be re-released in UK cinemas from 9 October, and you can check your local cinema for screening times and book tickets online now.
Emily Sergeant -
12th August 2024 
