Saving Brazil’s golden monkey, one green corridor at a time
By DIANE JEANTET
Associated Press
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Volunteers are taking part in an effort to extend the habitat of the most emblematic and endangered species of Rio de Janeiro’s rural interior — the golden lion tamarin. The small, copper-colored monkey whose face is framed by a silken mane can only be found in this part of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, which has been decimated by rampant deforestation over several centuries. The Golden Lion Tamarin Association planted 300 tree seedlings that will eventually form a green corridor connecting two patches of forest together. This is the latest in a series of incremental forest growth initiatives driven by environmentalists, providing an ever-larger habitat for the monkeys.