Black lion tamarin born at Jersey Zoo

There are now 11 black lion tamarins at Jersey Zoo, which said "every birth is vital"

A black lion tamarin has been born at Jersey Zoo as part of work to help the species avoid extinction.

The three-month-old baby tamarin, named Grace, is part of a species the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust has worked towards saving for over three decades.

Jersey is the only place in the world the species, which was once believed to be extinct, can be seen outside of its native Brazil.

Dominic Wormell, from Durrell, said the species was "under extreme threat".

The head of the mammal department said: "With only 1,000 black lion tamarins estimated to be left in the wild, every single birth at the zoo is crucially important in helping to build a safety-net population for the species."

The tamarin, born in December 2021, was "too weak" to hold onto its mother, so the Durrell team fed her every two hours.

"For the first two weeks, we cared for Grace around the clock, then gradually, we integrated her back into the family group," Mr Wormell said.

In the BBC show Attenborough's Ark, filmed at Jersey Zoo, Sir David Attenborough said the species was one of the top 10 he would like to see saved from extinction

Only 1,000 of the monkeys are estimated to be in the wild, with 6% of its native forest home remaining due to deforestation, officials confirmed.

Mr Wormell said the newborn will play an important part in its captive breeding programme.

"Her mother is the only breeding female outside of Brazil, and now Grace too will play a very important part in the breeding programme to help safeguard the future of her species," he said.

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