Past GLT Day Celebrations

August 2, 2023 — Read about our 2023:

• GLT Day Challenge

• GLT Day Challenge Winners

• GLT Day recap

August 2, 2022 — Save the Golden Lion Tamarin is grateful to its international supporters of this year’s Golden Lion Tamarin Day held Aug. 2. GLT` Day is an international celebration of conservation of this endangered monkey living in the Brazilian Atlantic Coastal Rainforest.

There were several exciting events that marked this year’s celebration — a special observance because GLT Day corresponded with the 30th anniversary of Associação Mico-Leão-Dourado, SGLT’s partner organization in Brazil.

“This GLT Day — and week — was a special time for celebrating connections among all of us who have contributed to GLT conservation over the last 30 years and new commitments to assuring a future in the Atlantic Forest for this fascinating species,” said Lou Ann Dietz, president of SGLT and founding director of AMLD.

AMLD sponsored a week’s worth of events in Brazil to mark this milestone anniversary. The activities included the opening of the Golden Lion Tamarin EcoPark and visits by local and international partners. The public enjoyed music, food and a fair featuring locally produced handcrafts and beverages. 

Additionally, organizers hosted a day-long seminar titled "30 Years of AMLD: Past, Present, and Future" and four days of workshops about conservation progress and planning to save the species from extinction.

Outside of Brazil, supporters, including zoo partners from all over the world helped spread awareness about GLT Day. The Frankfurt Zoo in Germany sponsored an information desk with information on GLTs, AMLD and the different species of lion tamarins. Several other zoos hosted children’s events, held presentations about GLTs and posted photos of GLTs on social media.

To honor the important role zoos and aquariums have in GLT conservation, SGLT invited participants to submit a zoo-based photo of this small but mighty primate. Submissions were considered under three separate photographer categories: professional; nonprofessional; and zoo and aquarium staff.

The winners and the zoos or aquariums where their photos were taken are:

• Professional: Sally Foster, Albuquerque Zoo, USA; Dylan Januel, Safari de Peaugres, France; and Virginie Langlois, The Montréal Biodôme, Canada.

• Nonprofessional: Miriam Fromme, Zoo of Cologne, Germany; Willem Hol, ZooParc Overloon, The Netherlands; Sylvia Kreft, Zoo of Cologne, Germany.

• Zoo and aquarium staff: Bo Johnson, Skansen Aquarium, Sweden; Cate Lloyd; Houston Zoo, USA; Florence Perroux, La Palmyre Zoo, France.

The photo challenge had participation from 92 individuals from 13 different countries. The winners will have a tree planted in their name in the GLT habitat near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The planting of trees supports the connection of isolated tracts of forest where golden lion tamarins live in the wild.

To view the winning photographs and learn more about GLTs and SGLT, we invite you to visit our website at savetheliontamarin.org.

SGLT thanks everyone who celebrated GLT Day with us and we are already looking forward to next year’s events. In the meantime, please stay engaged by visiting the SGLT website, subscribing to our newsletter and donating to this important mission of saving golden lion tamarins.