The Tamarin Trust is partnering in a new conservation initiative focused on the endangered golden-headed lion tamarin in the Brazilian state of Bahia. This comes in response to an escalating crisis, as rapid agricultural, urban expansion and road development continue to fragment the tamarins’ natural habitat. Much of its forest habitat is being converted into cattle pasture or coffee plantations. The urgent need to protect what remains cannot be overstated.

Recent video footage has highlighted the dire conditions faced by some tamarin family groups, now stranded in isolated forest fragments near urban areas. With reduced resources they need to move between forest fragments, so monkeys are found dangerously close to roads, at serious risk from traffic, electrocution on overhead powerlines, and attacks by domestic pets. There are currently no dedicated facilities equipped to properly rescue and rehabilitate lost tamarins.

You can watch a video showing their plight on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P-Lhb9Pjjo

After discussion with a vet who works at a local university, and supported by Michele and Paul Masterton, Tamarin Trust will be helping in the first stages of a rehabilitation facility, establishing two initial rehab enclosures, complete with monitoring cameras. These enclosures will provide a safe space where tamarins can be assessed and cared for, and ultimately released back into secure forest habitats when ready.  Releases will occur after working closely with field workers who are monitoring the last remaining tamarins in the wild.

This rescue and rehabilitation project is just the beginning.  In 2026, the Tamarin Trust will co-host the next in its series of marmoset and tamarin conservation husbandry workshops, in the city of Ilhéus in the heart of the golden-headed lion tamarin’s range. Experts and conservationists will collaborate on expansion plans for a full-scale tamarin rescue and rehabilitation centre The goal: to create a central hub where at-risk tamarins in the area can be brought for care, monitoring, and release.

This initiative will also integrate with ongoing fieldwork to monitor remaining tamarin populations in fragmented habitats, helping conservationists track movement, health, and population trends. Field researchers will be able to identify the areas the tamarins are most at risk on local roads, and with this information, Tamarin Trust plans to create canopy bridges to give tamarins safe passage over roads. This project marks a critical step toward safeguarding the future of one of the world’s most endangered primates.