Work to save an endangered species of monkey has been given a boost after another Black lion tamarin was born at Jersey Zoo.

Grace was born on 12 December 2021 but was too weak to hold onto her mother, so zoo staff stepped in to help her survive.

Picture Credit: Rachel Hughes

"Black lion tamarins are under extreme threat in the wild, with only 6% of their native forest home remaining due to deforestation.

Because of this, they end up trapped in small fragments of forest, meaning their habitat is very restricted and populations are isolated.

With only 1,000 black lion tamarins estimated to be left in the wild, every single birth at the zoo is crucially important in helping to build a safety-net population for the species." - Dominic Wormell, Head of the Mammal Department.

The Black lion tamarin was declared 'critically endangered' in the 1970s and was upgraded to just 'endangered' in 2018.

Grace is the fourth Black lion tamarin to be reared at Jersey Zoo.

She had to be fed every two hours - day and night.

Picture Credit: Tiffany Lang

It took around two and a half months for Grace to be strong enough to return to her family.

She brings the Black lion tamarin population at Jersey Zoo up to 11.

"Grace is a very welcome addition to the breeding programme, which we established over 30 years ago to save the black lion tamarin from being lost forever.

She is now back with her family full-time, sleeping and feeding with the group, which is wonderful to see.

Picture Credit: Emma Caton

Her mother is the only breeding female outside of Brazil, and now Grace too will play a very important part in the breeding programme to help safeguard the future of her species."

Grace and the rest of the black lion tamarin family are based in the tamarin enclosures next to the meerkats and otters.