SILVA
JARDIM, Brazil (AP) — Three tiny flaming orange
monkeys crouched on a tree branch, cocking their heads as if to better
hear the high-pitched whistles and yaps that came from deep within the dense
green foliage. Then they answered in kind, rending the morning with their sharp
calls and cautiously greeting each other in the forest.
That the cries of Brazil's
endangered golden lion tamarins should fill the air at all on a recent
afternoon was cause for celebration, the result of one of the world's most
inspired species restoration efforts. In fact, that campaign has transformed
the lush forest where the monkeys live and has become a model widely
cited for saving other animals.
"There is no question in
my mind that the golden lion tamarin is one of the best examples of
international collaboration anywhere in the world," said Russell
Mittermeier, president of environmental group Conservation International and
chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature's group on
primates. "I cite it every couple of weeks. This is how you do this kind
of thing."
Saving the squirrel-sized
monkeys, which sport a lush coat and foot-long tail, became a passion for
everyone from international animal aid groups to Brazilian conservationists. It
also brought in people living in the area, from well-off landowners to farm
workers, who learned how to make a living from growing the trees that the
monkeys depend on to survive, researchers said. Its population has grown from
just hundreds four decades ago to 1,700 in Rio de Janeiro state.
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