Benidorm zoo welcomes third baby Goeldi's monkey, a vulnerable Amazon species

A tiny face peeks out from the black fur on one of its parents’ backs. It belongs to the newest Goeldi’s monkey at Terra Natura Benidorm, the third born at the Spanish park since 2024.

The parents are Tuta and Jerez, who have been a breeding pair at the park since June 2023. Their first baby, Boni, was born in late May 2024 and the second in late December 2025, according to the park. This one arrived in early November 2026. Its sex is not yet known: vets are waiting so as not to disturb the family in the first weeks.

A small Amazon monkey on the red list

Goeldi’s monkey (Callimico goeldii), also called Goeldi’s marmoset, is a small primate from the tropical forests of Brazil and Bolivia. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists it as Vulnerable, and it is on CITES Appendix I, the strictest level of control on international trade.

Terra Natura Benidorm, a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), describes the birth as consolidating the species’ breeding success at the park.

Cameras so as not to disturb

For the first weeks, vets and keepers follow the family through cameras in the indoor enclosure and through controlled direct observation, the park says. They check that the baby grips its mother’s fur well, its reflexes, how often it feeds and how it grows. The mother’s diet has been boosted with extra protein, vitamins and minerals.

In this species, raising a baby takes two. The mother nurses it and, from about the second or third week, the father carries it on his back for much of the day, handing it back to the mother to feed. According to the park, babies start to become independent at around three months.