August 2 is the First Annual International GLT Day

Exactly one year ago today on August 2, 2016, Andreia Martins, the Coordinator of the Associação Mico-Leão-Dourado (Golden Lion Tamarin Association) team who have monitored GLTs in their native habitat, in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro for more than 30 years, carried the Torch through the region on its way to open the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.  Andreia’s home town of Silva Jardim, Rio de Janeiro, celebrated the honor with a parade and event that involved the entire municipality.  Relive the 2016 event with the video in English here: https://youtu.be/xXrzO7vKC4s?list=PLmJmutsTkHYXyFPsZ6xzcZvehmDVS4GmY.

To continue the celebration, this year the Municipal Council of Silva Jardim officially designated August 2 as “Dia do Mico-Leão-Dourado” (Golden Lion Tamarin Day) - an annual day of fun and learning dedicated to the conservation of this endangered primate native to their local forest.   

The Brazilian Society of Zoos and Aquariums (SZB) in partnership with the Associação Mico-Leão-Dourado, is conducting throughout 2017 a national educational campaign – 2017 Year of the Golden Lion Tamarin(Ano do Mico-Leão-Dourado) to involve more than twenty million Brazilian zoo visitors in learning about the diversity of Brazilian primates, which ones are native to their local forest, the threats caused by maintaining primates as pets and releasing them outside their home forest to become invasive species.  The campaign focuses on the golden lion tamarin as a Brazilian symbol for forest conservation and highlights the important role the 150 zoos around the world who participate in the captive-breeding program to help assure a permanent future for this species in its forest home.

SZB, the Associação Mico-Leão-Dourado, the Municipality of Silva Jardim – Rio de Janeiro, and Save the Golden Lion Tamarin invite zoos and other friends around the world to join us in celebrating August 2 – the first annual International Golden Lion Tamarin Day: 

Reintroduction helped bring the wild population to the current 3200, enough to save the species, but these GLTs are still isolated in fragmented habitat.  

To save GLTs from extinction we need:

 At least 2000 GLTs in 25,000 hectares of connected and protected forest.

Thanks to your help we now have:

408 GLTs in 5,548 hectares of connected and protected forest.

Today there are enough GLTs (3200) in the wild and enough forest, as well as a well-managed captive GLT population (500) that can supply GLTs for reintroduction should the need arise. 

With your continued support we can and will connect and protect enough forest and GLTs to keep the species safe from extinction in perpetuity.

Please join us on August 2 - Golden Lion Tamarin Day as we say Thank you to…

  • the 150 zoos around the world
  • all friends who support our actions

Press release can be found here.

SGLT