There’s nothing like a little recognition from your peers. At its 2008 Annual Conference in Milwaukee in September, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) honored the Chicago Zoological Society (CZS) with one of its most prestigious awards, the Edward H. Bean Award. CZS earned the award for its long-term and pioneering involvement with Goeldi’s monkeys (commonly called callimico), small black primates native to South America.
The Association established the awards in September 1956, named in honor of Edward H. Bean, the first Director of the Brookfield Zoo. The Edward H. Bean Award acclaims the most significant birth or hatching of a species and/or subspecies or a significant propagation or management program contributing to the reproductive success of one or more species and/or subspecies.
The callimico breeding program at Brookfield Zoo began back in 1977 when CZS primate staff took in a group of 10 wild-caught monkeys that were confiscated after animal traders tried to illegally smuggle the animals into the United States. Since then, the program has grown exponentially, with 247 successful births at Tropic World to date and a family tree that extends into all callimico-housing zoos in North America. From an animal management perspective, callimicos can prove challenging. “They require constant, intense, close oversight,” said Vince Sodaro, lead keeper in the primate department. “These primates become sexually mature at just 10 months old, so that rapid life cycle means that the genetic diversity of the zoo population could shift almost instantly, keeping our staff members constantly on their toes.”
Matchmaking with a Conservation Twist
In caring for callimicos, the role of CZS scientists extends far beyond the gates of Brookfield Zoo. Since 1983, CZS has maintained the international studbook, or record book, of all callimico populations living in zoos and similar institutions across the world. In 1992, Brookfield Zoo launched the callimico Species Survival Plan (SSP). Under the SSP, we coordinate the breeding matches for all the callimicos that live in North American zoos in order to maintain genetic diversity throughout these institutions. Our zoo employees serve as the callimico species coordinator, husbandry advisor, veterinary advisor, genetic advisor, and small population management advisor – which means that whenever a zoo has a callimico question, we’re the first people they call. Our staff also wrote the book on how to care for these small primates, including protocols for hand-rearing and the diet they should be given.
Although work at Brookfield Zoo with callimicos has received other awards from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (two significant achievement awards in 1979 and 1989, and two breeding recognitions in 1980 and 1982), the Bean Award represents an important milestone in Chicago Zoological Society history.
More on Callimicos
The callimico was one of the last species of primates to be discovered in the 20th century. They are one of 110 primate species found throughout South America, Central America and Mexico. Although biologists believe callimicos are closely related to marmosets and monkeys, they are not sure exactly how. For instance, callimicos have claws like marmosets (monkeys don’t have claws at all), but they have the same number of teeth and usually give birth to single offspring as monkeys do. Marmosets descend from trees head-first, monkeys descend rump-first, and callimicos descend both ways. Since callimicos seem to have a combination of traits from both marmosets and monkeys, some scientists have wondered if they are the evolutionary bridge between these two primate groups. However, with recent advances in DNA analysis, many now agree callimicos are simply a unique member of the marmoset family. More research is needed before we’ll be able to answer this question for certain.
Past animal conservation program winners at Brookfield Zoo of the Edward H. Bean award include:
1999 Tanagers
1974 Hinge-backed tortoise
1970 Green-crested basilisk
1967 Philippine tarsier
1962 Dall sheep
1960 Okapi