About to complete one month of birth, two dusky marmoset puppies (Callithrix aurita) are a cause for celebration at the São Paulo Zoo, as the species is threatened with extinction. Children of the couple Rolo and Scarlet, who arrived at the institution last year, the puppies are the first to be born at the site and represent a significant advance in the conservation of Brazilian fauna.
The couple joined the Zoo’s visiting area this year and the family’s routine is closely monitored by the technical team. The care follows the recommendations of the conservation program, linked to the National Action Plan for the Conservation of Primates of the Atlantic Forest and the sloth, coordinated by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio).
“We don’t interfere with the care unless necessary, and Scarlet is doing a great mother. It’s the father who carries the puppies, while the mother takes care of the babies during breastfeeding. We are very happy with the growth of the family. This is the first time we have maintained this species, and the birth of these puppies represents the consolidation of our work for conservation. It is important to maintain a safe population that, in the future, can contribute to actions in nature, if necessary”, stated the chief biologist. from the mammal sector, Luan Moraes.
Moraes explained that these primates, popularly known as marmosets, are native to small areas of the Atlantic Forest in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro. They play crucial ecological roles, such as seed dispersal and insect control, being fundamental to the balance of the ecosystem and the maintenance of biodiversity. However, its survival is threatened by several factors, such as urban expansion, forest fires, deforestation and competition with invasive species. Currently, the species is classified as “Endangered” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
The dusky marmosets Rolo and Scarlet were not the first primates to breed at the São Paulo Zoo. Before them, the Moraes area had already had success in breeding lion tamarins, which confirms the success of the technicians’ management and the sign that they are on the right path. According to him, the correct care for endangered species is extremely important because it allows the creation of a population of backupwhich is nothing more or less than a reserve of individuals that can be released into the wild, if necessary.
“Not only with marmosets, but with all threatened species, it is important to take care of what we call ex-situwhich means conservation outside the place of origin, the natural environment, whether in a zoo or by breeders, because we can promote a population that we call backup. If any extinction occurs in nature, we have these individuals that we can reintroduce. Here at the zoo we have these populations and there have already been releases”, he highlighted.
The biologist refers to the Lear’s Macaw, which was once at a high level of threat of extinction and has been recovered. With this species, the Zoo has been working for many years carrying out integrated conservation management with the Lear’s Macaw Research and Conservation Group, which works in the field, combining ex-situ actions and actions in-situ. The entire egg incubation process is carried out at the Zoo, maximizing the number of offspring of threatened species.
“Our role here with these threatened species is to have a safety population. We never know how and when a species will be at its threatened level. Today, I may have a species that is not threatened, but due to a natural disaster or problems such as, for example, the burning of the Pantanal, we do not know if this could pose a threat to some species that live there. If the area needs reinvigoration, we can supply these animals for release”, explained the chief biologist of the bird sector, Fernanda Vaz Guida.
Although threatened species are the focus of this work, the Zoo also has safe populations of domestic species, such as the Black Swan and native Brazilian species. There is already success in breeding the Jacutinga, an endangered species from the Atlantic Forest, with two birds destined for a release program.
This management is also carried out with amphibians, explains the chief biologist of the herpetofauna sector, Cybele Sabino Lisboa. She cites the example of amphibians, which are the most threatened vertebrate animals in the world, with 40% of the entire group classified at this point. Therefore, one of the recommendations is precisely to increase the security population. The Zoo manages Alcatraz tree frogs, endemic to the island of the same name and threatened during the period in which management began. Despite being recent, with the first animals arriving at the institution in 2011, there is already a population of 100 individuals.
“This species was the beginning of this strategy in Brazil. At the time we started, the Alcatraz tree frog was critically endangered and, because of all the joint efforts, today it has improved the threat category, becoming considered vulnerable, and that was a great gain from working together and efforts mainly to protect the area where it occurs. And knowing that there is a safe population, this also gives strength to the species to improve its threat status”, highlighted Cybele.
The São Paulo Zoo is located in an area of more than 450 thousand square meters of Atlantic Forest, housing more than 2,200 animals from 300 species, including several native to the region. Visitation is open from 9am to 5pm and the ticket office until 4pm. The zoo is located at Avenida Miguel Estefno, 4.241, Água Funda. You can buy tickets at website of the institution.
