Houston

Houston

Houston, a captive born Golden Lion Tamarin (GLT), came to the Honolulu Zoo from the Houston Zoo in April 1981 and she took part in one of the most successful ongoing international conservation projects in the world.

The average life span of a GLT in captivity is between 7 and 16 years; Houston outlived that by 6 years and her father, at the age of 28, was reported to still be alive in 1996!

"Houston had an unusually rounded pretty face and she was an excellent mom." Linda S.

Background

By 1981, the Atlantic Forest region along Brazils mountainous coast was, and still is, one of the most endangered tropical forest ecosystems in the world. It is home to the golden lion tamarin and some of the most spectacular species in the New World.

In the early 1970s a conservation program to save the GLT and the Atlantic Forest began in Brazil. The goal was to take captive born GLTs and reintroduce them back into their native habitat. This required and an enormous amount of cooperation between scientists, zoos, the Brazilian Government and land owners as well as strong financial support.

Gateway zoos, which had free-ranging exhibits for pre-release training, were crucial to the success of the project. These zoos had "monkey boot camps" where GLTs would learn to walk on real trees, hunt for food and experience life somewhat like it would be in the wild.

Houstons Role

"Houston always seemed so proud of her children."Linda S.

During her lifetime, Houston gave birth several times. The most remembered of her offspring was her daughter, Spanky, a very strong and independent tamarin born in 1990. Houston was a very patient mother and when she gave birth to twins, Fritz and Linda a year and a half later, she trained Spanky to be a good Auntie. She taught her how to handle the babies and be a second mother to them. By doing this, Houston taught Spanky some of the most important things she would need to know in order to be successfully reintroduced into the wild in Brazil and raise her own family. This extra training in nurturing, learned from Houston, could mean the difference between life and death in the wild.

Houston and her offspring traveled to Zoo Atlanta about 2 years later to take part in "monkey boot camp". However, she wasn't interested in the "self serving" exercises and as a result, was excused and sent back to the Honolulu Zoo.

"Houston tolerated people very well and like to hang on to our fingers." -Linda S.

Spanky and Fritz however, went on to be successfully reintroduced into the Poco das Antas Reserve. In fact, word was sent back from Brazil, that when Spanky and her gang were finally set into the reserve and the transfer boxs door was opened, it was Spanky that boldly walked out and looked around. The others stayed inside. After she seemed satisfied, she when back in, led Fritz out by the hand and soon they were all out and entering their new wild home!

Houston had many health problems during the last five years of her life, but her keepers and the veterinary staff made sure she was always comfortable inside the Bird House, giving her lots of attention and the best care possible. Keepers and staff would always say hi to her when they walked by her enclosure if she was out of her sleeping box. If they didnt see her they would peek inside and make sure she was okay.

On April 30^th, her last birthday, "I stopped by to sing Happy Birthday to her." -Bird Keeper, Brenda C.

Her next-door neighbor in the birdhouse was Guber, a scarlet macaw. When he would see Houston poking her head out of her sleeping box he would say "come ere, come ere, come ere." Even he knew when she was gone.

"Houston was family, we really miss her."Linda S.

THE GOLDEN LION TAMARIN PROJECT TODAY

The Atlantic Forest has been reduced to only 7% of its original area and the GLT is surviving in only 2% of its native habitat. It is the most devastated tropical forest region in the world today.

There are 1,000 GLTs living in the Atlantic Forest, only half of those are in the protected Poco das Antas Reserve (when surveys were first conducted in the reserve, there were only 75 to 150 GLTs). In order to become a viable population, safe from extinction, there will need to be an interacting population of 2,000 animals.

The overall area that is occupied by the GLT is 16,600 hectares and this will have to be increased to 25,000 hectares by 2025 to support 2,000 tamarins. Over the past 3 years, the Brazilian government has increased reserve areas, however, much more needs to be done.

The GLT faces major challenges if it is to survive as a species. Presently, unknown predation is occurring in the Poco das Antas Reserve, which is wiping out entire families as they sleep in their hollowed out logs. This could prove to be a major setback depending on the genetic makeup of those being predated.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, there are 480 minus 1, golden lion tamarins living in captivity.