Apr 30, 2006 10:37 am US/Central
CBS 2 At Brookfield Zoo: Callimico
by Susan Carlson
(CBS)
We are heading into the tropics. In this week's visit to Brookfield Zoo, CBS 2's Susan Carlson introduces us to the callimico.
S: Greetings from tropic world here at Brookfield Zoo. I'm with Andre Copeland. Always nice to see you. We're talking about some of the smallest creatures, the residents of Tropic World, this morning. Introduce us to Nick and Noodle.
A: Well, Nick and Noodle are two of the callimicos that live here at Brookfield Zoo, and how callimicos came to Brookfield Zoo is naturally an interesting story. In 1977, the U.S. government contacted Brookfield Zoo to ask them if they could give a home to 10 tamarins that were confiscated from someone who was keeping them illegally. Brookfield Zoo said yes, but when the animals got here, they found out they were not tamarins at all. They're actually callimicos. They're one of the smallest and shyest of the primates that live in South America.
S: So how is their behavior different than the other primate?
A: Well, these animals are monogamous, and they'll hang out in the lower canopy of the forest. They'll jump down to the forest floor, grab something to eat, and go right back into seclusion. So when they're cared for here at Brookfield Zoo, they're very, very sensitive to change. As a matter of fact, one of the callimicos' keepers, Sheila, changed her shoes, and the callimicos didn't want to have anything to do with her.
S: Well, who could blame them. They probably didn't like that color or something. Now Nick and Noodle, what is their relationship? Are they married, so to speak?
A: You might say that, if you're trying to put it into human terms, but since they're out here in public view, they're not considered one of our breeding pairs. Both of them were hand veered, so they're more used to people than the ones that we keep in our private breeding facility.
S: And Andre, tell us about the breeding efforts for callimicos here at the Brookfield Zoo.
A: Well here at Brookfield Zoo, we can boast writing the book. Since 1977, we're had 260 successful births.
S: Wow, well, that's good to know. And you can meet Nick and Noodle up close and personal here at Tropic World.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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