Riverbanks Zoo and Garden welcomes two new cotton-top tamarins
Columbia, S.C. (WOLO)– Riverbanks Zoo and Garden officials say they welcomed a new pair of cotton-top tamarins, Pepita and Caqueta!
A zoo spokesperson says they are part of the world’s most endangered primate species.
Zoo officials say Pepita arrived at Riverbanks after being confiscated from the illegal pet trade.
“She was being raised with the intention of being a pet, and that does not work well for nonhuman primates,” says Dr. Martha Weber, Vice President of Animal Care at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden. “When she arrived here at two months old, she was malnourished, and we had to nurse her back to health.”
Caqueta, a 12 year old female comes to Riverbanks from Buttonwood Park Zoo in Massachusetts.
Zoo officials say Riverbanks is working to raise awareness about the impacts of the exotic pet trade.
To learn more about wildlife trafficking and what you can do to help, visit https://www.aza.org/wta-what-
