Ellen Trout Zoo confirmed our worst fears about the fate or Tamarin twins "Comet" and "Rudolph" today in a press release. Both of the twins were rejected at birth by their parents.

It is with sadness and disappointment that I must report the loss of the Tamarin twins, “Comet” and “Rudolph”. We knew going into this, hand rearing these babies would be a challenge but one we had to accept. Both twins were rejected at birth by their parents and were given exceptional care by Zoo staffers. They received around the clock attention and went home daily with their caregivers. As they made progress, during the day they were given visual access to the adults with the hope they could one day be reunited with the family group. Unfortunately, this did not happen. Both infants died a sudden unexpected death. A gross necropsy did not give any clues so tissues samples were sent to an exotic animal pathology lab in California for further analysis. A deep concern for animals and animal welfare are top priorities at the Ellen Trout Zoo and that is why we attempted to hand rear these infant Tamarins. We are saddened by the loss but we have also gained valuable experience by attempting this endeavor.

I personally know some of the staff at the zoo, and this was very hard on all of them, the Tamarins at our zoo are very rare, and have intrigued me since I was a kid visiting the Ellen Trout Zoo. I know they did their best, for these beautiful animals, and we are glad for the time we had them.

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