First weekend

After my first weekend at the Golden Lion Tamarin exhibit, I feel less nervous about the internship. I was surprised by the amount of work the exhibit required on a daily basis. It certainly highlights the zoo's efforts to provide the best care for these animals while organizing conservation efforts as well. I also became better acquainted with each of the monkeys.


Free-ranging GLTs (left) at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park

Theo, the offspring of Spree and Bencao, was hard to track because he was always playing so high up in the trees. Theo is also on the forefront of the "Great War" with the grackle birds that already inhabit the trees. It's quite entertaining, actually. Spree, in all her feminine glory, is quite dominant over the group at times. She scent-marked tree limbs by rubbing her chest on the surface. Tamarins have specialized hair follicles that secrete chemicals from glands on their chests and genital areas. She's a bit feisty when Ben grooms her and tries to pull her tracking collar off her head (I don't blame her). Ben is always on the lookout to protect his group. He's interested in anything that seems remotely threatening, and oddly enough, the group shows stress when someone with a wagon pulls a kennel past the exhibit. Like dogs and cats, I was told the monkeys disliked the kennels because they associate it with going to see veterinarians. Here is a description of each tamarin.

The first day was a bit stressful because an eagle owl escaped while the monkeys were outside free-ranging. The bird, sometimes called the "monkey-eating owl," says the Zoo Atlanta Web site, was not exactly the type of animal you'd want on the loose around small primates. My manager quickly herded the monkeys inside while I was cleaning the indoor habitat. I'm notoriously slow at cleaning, so she helped me finish.

The second day went more smoothly. The monkeys were outside the majority of the day playing and entertaining visitors. I was asked many questions about the tamarins, but one replayed like a broken record: "What keeps them from leaving their island?" In all honesty, this is a great question, but I nearly lost my voice answering it over and over. From my understanding and what the director told me, GLTs are extremely territorial in the wild and stay in the same geographic area throughout their lifespans. One must also consider the tamarins' natural instincts in protecting themselves from predators. If they navigate an area well, why would they leave and expose themselves to a new environment where they may not be able to escape predators? Additionally, the tree island provides everything they look for in a natural habitat: food, water and safety. Since the monkeys feel comfortable in their territory, there is no reason for them to leave.