Twycross Zoo welcomes new arrivals including twin emperor tamarins

The emperor tamarin twins were born to mother Mathilda and father Moe, who are both experienced parents with this being their ninth set of offspring.

The two new arrivals bring the number of Emperor tamarin monkeys at Twycross to 12, who all live together at Twycross Zoo’s newly renovated ‘World of Small Monkeys’ habitat.

Emperor tamarins are small New World monkeys, a term describing monkeys from South and Central America.

Their name originates from their distinctive white moustache, which is said to have reminded explorers of the German emperor Wilhelm II.

The baby vicuna was born to mother Maxine and father Poland.

New born vicunas are known as ‘crias’, which comes from the Spanish word Cria, meaning ‘baby’, and the species are the smallest members of the camel family, originating from South America.

Lynsey Bugg, Curator at Twycross Zoo, said: “We’re absolutely delighted to announce the birth of a baby vicuna, known as a cria, and two emperor tamarin babies.

"The new arrivals are all doing really well and have been settling into their new home and getting to know their surroundings.

“As a conservation charity, our overarching aim is to help save the species with whom we share our planet through conservation action, and every birth at Twycross Zoo is a wonderful moment that helps us to safeguard incredible species for future generations, many of whom are facing critical threats to their population in the wild.

“The summer holidays are the perfect opportunity to come and meet our three new arrivals and find out more about these fascinating species.”

Twycross Zoo, which recently celebrated its 60th anniversary, is home to more than 400 animals from around 80 different species.

Guests can currently benefit from Twycross Zoo’s brand-new annual ticket, which allows visitors to pay for a day and visit free for 12 months and enjoy the value of a whole year of wild fun.

The new ticket costs £25 for an adult and £19 for a child, for an entire 12-months’ entry to Twycross Zoo.

For details, visit twycrosszoo.org.