'Special' moment as three baby monkeys born at zoo

The stork has dropped off three newborn monkeys at a zoo in Leicestershire.

Twycross Zoo has announced it is celebrating the birth of a coppery titi monkey along with cotton-top tamarin twins, a critically-endangered species with about 2,000 estimated to remain in the wild.

Primate curator Matt Ford said the zoo was "thrilled" at what was "another milestone in our conservation mission".

He added the coppery titi infant's arrival was "exceptionally special" as mother Sirena was born at Twycross herself in 2010.

Cotton-top tamarins arrived at Twycross Zoo in 2025 as part of conservation efforts to protect the species, which is among the most endangered primates globally due to the destruction of tropical forests in its native north west Colombia and the illegal pet trade.

The species usually gives birth to twins, and fathers take the role of primary caregivers, carrying the babies and only handing them to their mother to suckle.

Coppery titi monkey fathers too carry their young for the first six months of their lives.

While not yet endangered, the species is under threat from bushmeat hunting and the pet trade in its native northwestern Brazil and eastern Peru.

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