Hot Lips the Cotton-Top Tamarin (2000-2025)
Obituary
Hot Lips died at a zoo in Kansas after spending his entire life in captivity.
Hot Lips, a 25-year-old cotton-top tamarin, died at the David Traylor Zoo in Emporia, Kansas on April 16th due to age-related complications. He was born at the zoo in 2000 and spent his entire life there. He had 13 children and seven grandchildren.
Tamarins are small primates who live in the forests of northwestern Colombia. Tamarins play a critical role in their ecosystems through spreading seeds by eating and digesting them into their feces, which acts as a fertilizer.
Like all primates, cotton-top tamarins have a complex social structure. They live in social family groups that include parents, adults children, and other adults who have joined the group. Only a single top female tamarin gives birth. When the mother dies or leaves, the next highest-ranking female becomes fertile. Tamarins play a critical role in their ecosystems through spreading seeds by eating and digesting them into their feces, which acts as a fertilizer.
The cotton-top tamarin is critically endangered due to deforestation for development and agriculture. Some tamarins are still illegally trafficked and sold as pets, as well. In the 1960s, 20-30,000 cotton-top tamarins were stolen from their homes and shipped to the US for use in biomedical research. Though their capture is now illegal, more cotton-top tamarins live in captivity than in the wild. Breeding programs at US zoos only ensure that a small number of cotton-top tamarins will continue to be exhibited for paying guests. Only by conserving their dwindling habitat can we ensure a future where cotton-top tamarins thrive in the wild.
World Animal Protection urges everyone who loves tamarins to avoid zoos and enjoy them in the wild or at sanctuaries.
