Golden Lion Tamarins

These lively little characters are nearly extinct in the wild, their range limited to a small patch of Brazil’s southern Atlantic coast. But they seem to be thriving in American zoos. All three zoos that I visited this week (Bronx, Prospect Park, and Beardsley) feature them. They certainly are striking and attractive; they are small and manageable; and presumably their nature lets them thrive in captivity.

Golden Lion Tamarin at Prospect Park Zoo

Golden Lion Tamarin at Prospect Park Zoo



You can get very good photographs of them at Prospect Park Zoo, where they are behind plexiglass, and at Beardsley, where the cage wires are not too intrusive.

At the Bronx Zoo, where they are in outdoor cages next to the Mouse House, your choices are:

Golden Lion Tamarin at Bronx Zoo

Golden Lion Tamarin at Bronx Zoo


1) As above, when they are deep in the cage. With a shallow depth-of-field (f/5 in this shot), the cage bars blur out. A little photo-editing minimizes the white haze of the blurred-out bars.

Golden Lion Tamarin at Bronx Zoo

Golden Lion Tamarin at Bronx Zoo


2) As above. when they perch on the cage itself.

Golden Lion Tamarin at Prospect Park Zoo

Golden Lion Tamarin at Prospect Park Zoo

Golden Lion Tamarin at Beardsley Zoo

Golden Lion Tamarin at Beardsley Zoo