Nine red-backed bearded sakis are arriving at Nashville Zoo beginning Sept. 26, giving visitors a chance to see a new species along Bamboo Trail.
The highly arboreal primates are native to the Amazon rainforest in South America and spend much of their time high in the forest canopy.
Their arrival also highlights the biodiversity of the Amazon and the importance of protecting rainforest habitats from threats including habitat loss and fragmentation.
Nashville Zoo supports conservation efforts across South America through partnerships with the Rainforest Awareness Rescue Education Center (RAREC) in Peru and Proyecto Titi in Colombia. The efforts focus on protecting primates and the rainforest ecosystems they depend on.
The sakis’ new habitat is located next to the zoo’s red-ruffed lemurs and was designed to encourage natural behaviors. It includes trees, elevated pathways and built-in feeders that give the animals opportunities to climb, leap, forage and explore.
Visitors can meet the zoo’s newest residents along Bamboo Trail starting Sept. 26.
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