Barang: A marmoset Sunday gave birth to two babies at Nandankanan Zoological Park (NZP) here, said a zoo official.
However, the marmoset abandoned one of the two babies soon after giving birth to them. “The marmoset delivered the babies at enclosure no. 55. The mother marmoset accepted one newborn baby while rejected the other. We have rescued the abandoned baby marmoset and brought it to a rearing centre,” said Nandankanan deputy director Bimal Prasanna Acharya.
According to Acharya, the number of marmoset monkeys at NZP has gone up to seven. “Now, we have three male marmosets and one female while the sexes of three marmosets are yet to be ascertained. We had purchased a pair of marmosets from a private agency in Madurai March 7, 2019,” Acharya said.
According to wildlife experts, marmosets are a species of small monkeys having long tails. They are mainly found in South America countries like Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru.
“Similar in appearance to squirrels, marmosets are tree dwelling and they primarily eat insects, leaves and fruits. Marmosets remain active during the day and they live in small groups. Some people even keep marmosets as pets,” said a wildlife expert.