Bless their cotton... tops: Twin monkeys cling onto their mum as UK zoo welcomes three baby primates

Get your news delivered straight to you by 7am - sign up to our new Morning Mail newsletter for FREESee more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 20:47 EDT, 27 August 2026 | Updated: 21:14 EDT, 27 August 2026 A UK zoo has welcomed three baby primates including a pair of critically endangered twin monkeys.Zookeepers at Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire are celebrating the birth of a coppery titi monkey and two cotton-top tamarin monkeys.The primates' arrivals are part of conservation efforts by the 100-acre zoo to help save the animals from extinction. In the adorable photographs, the infants can be seen clinging on tightly to their parents.One picture shows a baby coppery titi monkey nestling in its mother's thick fur as it sleeps.The monkey's mother, Sirena, was also born at Twycross Zoo in 2010 making the birth 'exceptionally special'.In another picture, the cotton-top tamarin is holding on to a tree branch as the twins get a piggy-back ride. On the animal's births, the zoo's primate curator Matt Ford said: 'We're thrilled at the birth of our two cotton-top tamarins, and it marks another milestone in our conservation mission. The cotton-top tamarins twins pictured clinging on to the back of their parents who balances on a tree branch at Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire The coppery titi monkey on its mother Sirena The monkey pictured nestling in its mothers thick fur as it catches some much needed rest It is hoped that the births at the zoo will help save the animals from extinction'The species is Critically Endangered and it's believed there's only 2000 remaining in the wild. 'This number is continuing to decline as their native habitat becomes severely damaged by human action, making this ex-situ conservation work vital to safeguarding the species from extinction.'Cotton-top tamarins, which are one of the most endangered primates in the world, typically give birth to twins. The father then takes on the role as caregiver, looking after them full-time aside from letting them suckle with their mother.Similarly to the cotton-top tamarins, the coppery titi monkey fathers carry their offspring for the first six months of their lives.Unlike their fellow primates, the coppery titi is not considered an endangered species although it is under threat from poachers in their native Peru and Brazil.