Following the rescue centre conference in Brasilia, we travelled to Bahia to visit Leonardo Carvalho Oliveira and Danilo Simonini, who are actively involved in the conservation of golden-headed lion tamarins (Leontopithecus chrysomelas) in Ilhéus. This species is endangered, and their situation mirrors that of many others: over 40% of their habitat has been lost in the last 30 years, leading to drastic drop of 60% in the population. The remaining population is severely fragmented with a far higher likelihood of local extinctions in the remaining disconnected population.

We saw firsthand the consequences of this decline. Many tamarins are electrocuted by power lines, stranded by roads, or attacked by domestic pets. The process of decline is ongoing and very visible. It was very worrying to see the aggressive expansion of the city and a planned new rail line to transport minerals, which will cut right through pristine habitat. Golden-headed lion tamarins are losing forest rapidly in the west of their range as agricultural practices change to cattle ranching and  monocultures. Plans are being made to rescue populations at risk and secure genetic diversity, and Tamarin Trust will be helping with this.

We visited the local university in Ilhéus, where Tamarin Trust is planning to build rehabilitation units. These facilities will be able to take in rescued tamarins, rehabilitate them, and release them into safer, more continuous forest habitats. Leo and his field team will monitor the animals post-release, which is essential to measure the success of reintroductions.

One particularly inspiring moment was visiting a beautiful cabruca forest—a type of shaded cocoa plantation where only a portion of the understory is removed to grow cacao which is harvested for very high quality chocolate. The rest of the forest remains intact, and tamarins thrive in these environments. We were lucky to observe two large groups there; it was stunning to see their agility and social interactions as they navigated the towering trees above us.

The Other Side of the Spectrum: Fragmented Habitats

In stark contrast, the next day we visited a site on the outskirts of a newly built condominium, where a family group of tamarins was surviving by moving from garden to garden in search of food. Some residents do feed them, but this puts the tamarins at constant risk—attacks from stray dogs, electrocution from power lines, and general urban dangers.

A tamarin using a power line to cross a street, suburbs of Ilheus, Bahia.

We witnessed the entire group precariously crossing power lines multiple times, including one adult carrying tiny twin infants. It was a heartbreaking sight. These are precisely the animals that need to be rescued and brought into the rehabilitation centre at the university in Ilhéus. The first units that Tamarin Trust will fund and help design will hold these rescued individuals, but there are many others that will need rescue, so the plan is to increase the number of rehabilitation enclosures in the coming year. Many thanks to Paul and Michele Masterton for funding the building of the first enclosures.

The broader plan is to manage this fragmented population through a central triage centre with more enclosures. This will allow for proper genetic management, rescue, and eventual translocation. It will work in close coordination with field teams monitoring the forest—both to identify animals in need of rescue and to determine ideal release sites.

Looking Ahead

This is an ambitious project that will take years to fully realise. Connectivity initiatives—such as planting trees and building wildlife bridges over roads—are also part of the plan to reconnect habitat fragments.

Tamarin Trust is deeply committed to supporting this effort in any way we can. Our experience in managing and releasing tamarins into woodland habitats will hopefully be of great value to Leo and his team in Ilhéus.

The trip was hugely productive and it was inspiring to meet passionate conservationists working so hard and dedicating their lives to save these primates on the brink of extinction. With their passion and determination there is hope for the future but they will need support, and Tamarin Trust will continue to provide this as long as we can.

We have several videos on our YouTube channel that describe the situation facing golden-headed lion tamarins and what we can do to help:

Please watch the video below about the situation for the golden headed lion tamarins