The species is under extreme threat because of the changing climate in the creatures’ native territory, which has caused them to struggle to find food.
Dom Wormell, Durrell’s head of mammals, said: ‘This is wonderful news. The species is under extreme threat in the wild due to having a very restricted habitat with isolated populations.
‘The changing climate is having a big impact in the west of São Paulo state in Brazil, where the tamarin comes from.
‘The dry season is getting longer and the lack of rain means that the females who give birth at the beginning of the wet season struggle to find enough food.’
Jersey Zoo is now the only place outside of Brazil to house black lion tamarins, and in 2017, five of the animals arrived at the facility from São Paulo.
Mr Wormell added that the creatures were brought to Jersey as part of a publicly funded campaign to save the species.
‘The import of the Brazilian animals last year brought new blood into what remained of the European population, giving us the chance to build a strong conservation assurance population,’ he said.
‘It is great that the support people gave to us has now come to fruition, with this being the first mother-reared infants in Europe in at least 15 years.’
The Zoo has also experienced success with a number of its other species this year. Two pygmy bearded chameleons, two silvery marmosets and seven critically endangered Livingstone’s fruit bats have all been born.
