Archive for the ‘Cotton-top Tamarin’ Category

May
15

Wildlife Heroes Profiles: Cotton-top Tamarins

Posted by in Animal Origins & Fun Facts,Central America,community-based conservation,Conservation,Cotton-top Tamarin,Endangered Species,Featured,Field Research

Join us on May 19th and 20th for wildlife Heroes weekend.  On May 20th we welcome Jeff Flocken, co-author of Wildlife Heroes: 40 Leading Conservationists and the Animals they are Committed to Saving for a book-signing and presentations by zoo staff on the focus species of the book. Wildlife Heroes will be available for sale at the zoo on May 20th, quantities are limited!  Books are also available for  pre-order on the Houston Zoo website at: http://www.houstonzoo.org/wildlife-heroes/for a dicounted price until May 17th.

To give you an idea of the projects covered in the book, we thought we would highlight a few of the projects the Houston Zoo supports throughout the week:

 

Rosamira Guillen, Director of Proyecto Titi: Cotton-top Tamarins.

That monkey has one bad hairdo.

Cotton-top Tamarin, Colombia. Proyecto Titi

This should make it easy to promote, or hard to promote – who wants an endangered species of primate roaming around the forest if they cannot manage their hair? Well, we do!

Cotton-top tamarins are an endangered species of primate found only in the tropical forests of Colombia. Weighing about 1 pound, this tiny monkey needs our help in order to survive. Proyecto Tití is a conservation program that works to study cotton-top tamarins in their tropical forest habitat  as well as educating local communities about the need to protect the biodiversity of Colombia. But, to make conservation economically feasible  for many local communities, they have developed some innovative strategies to empower local people to get involved and benefit from conservation activities.

Rosamira Guillen has worked tirelessly to protect this species. Over 90% of the cotton-top tamarins forest has been lost to development and other activities. Proyecto Titi began in 1985 and is committed to raising public awareness to the plight of the cotton-top tamarin through a variety of projects involving numerous individuals and organizations.

From community education programs to alternative uses for heating and cooking, Proyecto Titi is making a difference in protecting this very important primate within a limited habitat. Learn more at http://proyectotiti.com

If you are on the West Coast and would like to meet Rosamira Guillen, she will be presenting in Losa Altos, California on June 2nd and then at the Wildlife Conservation Network Expo in San Francisco, CA on October 13th, 2012.

Join us for the Wildlife Heroes weekend here at the Houston Zoo on May 19th and 20th and learn about the community commerce effort this project has created to offer new ways to generate income for the poor surrounding communities.  During the keeper chats on this special weekend you will also hear about various research techniques this project uses for this unique species.

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May
09

Wildlife Heroes is an awesome book, and we have the author coming to the Zoo!

Posted by in Africa,amphibians,Bats,Birds,Borneo,Bumblebees,Carnivores,Central America,Chimpanzee,community-based conservation,Conservation,Cotton-top Tamarin,Elephant,Endangered Species,Field Research,Going Green,Gorilla,Okapi,orangutan,Painted Dog,Panama,Rhino,Sea Turtles,South America,What You Can Do

Join us on May 19th and 20th for Wildlife Heroes weekend at the Houston Zoo.  On May 20th we welcome Jeff Flocken, co-author of Wildlife Heroes: 40 Leading Conservationists and the Animals they are Committed to Saving for a book-signing and presentations by zoo staff on the focus species of the book. Wildlife Heroes will be available for sale at the zoo on May 20th, quantities are limited!  Books are also available for  pre-order on the Houston Zoo website at: http://www.houstonzoo.org/wildlife-heroes/for a dicounted price until May 17th.

My first heroes were animal people.  When I went to zoos my heroes were the zoo keepers and when I watched animal documentaries the researchers were my heroes.  We all need amazing people to inspire us and that is why the new book Wildlife Heroes is so wonderful. 

The book includes 40 people overcoming impossible odds to save endangered species all over the world.  If you are looking for real heroes for your children to look up to look now further! 

The unique stories in this book of local communities becoming involved in anti-poaching, education and research efforts for wildlife in their own back yard are immeasurably inspiring!  In one story a young boy, Thia grew up in Northern Vietnam watching his village hunt the very species he fights to save today.  His passion to help a unique species called the pangolin will warm your heart!
 
I have had the honor of meeting many of the heroes in this book (including the authors) over the years and they inspire me to move forward in my own wildlife conservation work.  These are real people making a real difference! 

This book introduces readers to pollinator and amphibian decline and other environment issues that continue to threaten our world.  But it also offers great messages of hope.  In the last chapter Jack Hannah suggests ways the reader can help, and the good news is that by purchasing the Wildlife Heroes book you are already helping- 100 % of the proceeds go to the projects featured in the book.  A win for everyone!

Hope to see you at the Houston Zoo for our Wildlife Heroes weekend May 19th and 20th!

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Nov
19

Conservation Holiday Gifts

Posted by in Africa,Clothing,community-based conservation,Conservation,Cotton-top Tamarin,Endangered Species,Galapagos,What You Can Do

Consider this your start of holiday shopping and there is no need to get in line at 4 am for our doorbuster specials. Our doors open at 9am by the way. If you have ever visited the zoo’s gift shop, there is a small corner behind the register which we call our conservation marketplace. By marketing these unique lines of quality crafts in our gift shop the Houston zoo enables local artisans to make a living outside wildlife parks, strengthen their communities and help preserve fragile endangered specie’s habitats. 

Much of the product here is made by local communities in Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Colombia, Mongolia and other countries. For example Iganyana Art Center was created by Painted Dog Conservation (PDC) in Zimbabwe. Fewer then 3000 African wild dogs remain in Africa due to various human pressures.   Poaching with snares (wire traps) continues to be one of the leading threats to the survival of this species. The wire collected by the anti-poaching units is sent to PDC’s Iganyana arts center, where local artisans from rural villages use it to create beautiful intricate art.  Production of this artwork provides skills and financial security for the artists. 

Virunga Artisan Products “The Art of People & Gorillas Living in Harmony ” is staffed by locals from the communities surrounding Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda/DR Congo and the Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. 
The women of the Nkuringo Basket Weavers Association live on the southwest edge of Bwindi National Park in an area seldom visited by tourists.  The people of Nkuringo traditionally have made their living from subsistence agriculture. Earnings from basket sales have made a tremendous difference in the lives of the women of Nkuringo and their families, including the ability to send their children to school and access to health care.

So you see, it is not about making a sale for sale’s sake with these products but it is another way the zoo conservation department works with programs to develop economic incentives for local people living with some of the world’s most threatened species.

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Apr
28

Recycling to Save the Critically Endangered Cotton-top Tamarin

Posted by in community-based conservation,Cotton-top Tamarin,Endangered Species,Field Research,Going Green,What You Can Do

Cotton-top Tamerin

The cotton-top tamarin (Saguinus oedipus) is one of the most endangered primates in the world. The species was declared endangered in 1973 following the exportation of 20,000-40,000 tamarins to the United States for use in biomedical research (Hernandez-Camacho and Cooper 1976; Clapp et al. 1982). In the late 1970s and throughout much of the 1980s, cotton-top tamarins were found to spontaneously develop colonic adenocarcinoma. They served as the primary model for indepth studies of this disease throughout much of this decade. Today the greatest threat to the survival of the cotton-top tamarin is deforestation for agriculture, fuel, and housing, in addition to collection for the local pet trade in Colombia (Mast & Patino 1988). Occurrences of the illegal trade of cotton-tops still continues throughout much of the world despite international laws condemning such activity

A census was conducted in 2005-2006 examining the status of the wild population of cotton-top tamarins. Results of the census indicated that the cotton-top tamarin has been severely impacted by the significant habitat destruction that has occurred throughout its range in Colombia.  The results of the census in addition to the challenges with habitat destruction, resulted in the IUCN Primate Specialist Group recommending the classification of cotton-top tamarins be changed to Critically Endangered in 2008.

Proyecto Tití is a multi-disciplinary in situ conservation program that combines field research, education initiatives and community programs to make the conservation of natural resources economically feasible for local communities in Colombia. The program is designed to provide useful information to assist in the long-term preservation of the cotton-top tamarin and to develop local community advocates to promote conservation efforts in Colombia.

"Mochila", eco-friendly bags

Proyecto Tití is committed to working with local communities to develop economic alternatives that assist in the protection of Colombia’s natural environment.  Local women learn how to transform discarded plastic bags into colorfully designed, hand-knit mochilas (tote bags).  Children from the communities collect the bags, which are carefully cleaned before they are crocheted into attractive accessories.  The production of these bags helps to reduce the amount of plastic in the local landfills and creates a sustainable local economy.

These eco-friendly bags are now for sale in the conservation corner of the Houston Zoo gift shop.  They are available in a variety of colors, and make great beach bags, shopping bags, or purses.  

Don’t forget to spend a bit of time with the Cotton-top tamarins at the zoo during your next visit!

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