The Hindu : Front Page : Uncommon rescue

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 28, 2006

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Uncommon rescue

P. Oppili

A species from the rainforests of Latin America

PHOTO: M. Vedhan

SAFE PASSAGE: The seized marmoset on Thursday.

CHENNAI: A small, furry and curious-looking animal cooped up in a cage in a suburban Chennai hotel prompted the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) to seize it and hand it over to the Forest Department on Thursday. The wide-eyed, greyish-black primate that was only a little bigger than the size of a palm was identified as a marmoset — a monkey species belonging to the rainforests of Latin America.

Enter SPCA

A visitor to the hotel on the East Coast Road tipped off the SPCA about the animal, prompting the society to mount a rescue operation. A team led by SPCA Chief Inspector W. Dowlath Khan seized the animal from the restaurant, that was keeping a menagerie of lovebirds, emus, ducks and rabbits to entertain guests.

Research object

Marmosets have been kept in some zoos in the country in the past, said Dr. Ajith Kumar, a primatologist with the Wildlife Conservation Society-India programme, Bangalore. The animal seized in Chennai appeared to be the cotton tuft-eared marmoset belonging to the genus Callithrix, he said.

Some scientific institutions in the country maintaining primate laboratories conduct research involving marmoset specimens.

From rainforests

Marmosets and tamarin monkeys are found primarily in the tropical rainforests of South America, with a few populations found in Central America.

Studies show that the home range of marmosets, which feed on tree exudates (gum and sap), besides fruits, grasshoppers, crickets and cockroaches, could extend to 65,000 square metres.

Some prominent features of marmosets include black and grey fur, black fur on the head and neck, and white ear tufts or tufts on the head, in adults and juveniles. Infants lack ear tufts and have grey fur on their head and neck. Alternating wide dark bands and pale narrow bands on the tails is another distinctive feature. Individuals usually weigh 300 to 500 grams, researchers say. Marmosets with a life span of a dozen years are social animals usually living in groups of eight to 10.

Social animal

"It would be criminal to keep this individual marmoset alone, given the social nature of these animals," says Dr. Ajith Kumar, who thinks a place must be found for it in a zoo where there are similar animals. Activists said the seized animal must be cared for by those familiar with the habits of the species.

While some marmosets are listed under the "least concern" category in the Red List maintained by the IUCN (World Conservation Union), the disappearance of rainforests due to human pressures is shrinking their habitat. This poses a threat to the long-term survival of the species.

These animals are often treated as curiosities and sold into the pet trade in South and Central America.

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