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From capybaras to coatimundis and everything in between, the Sint Maarten Zoo has a wide variety of tropical animals in its tidy space on the back side of the salt pond in Philipsburg. The zoo has wisely concentrated on animals that do not need expensive and large habitats. They put their tropical animals in concrete walled enclosures whenever possible, so you can see the animals directly, with no fence to obstruct the view. This doesn't work well with their large collection of monkeys or birds, but you can walk through the bird cages - carefully!. |
Capybara
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While walking through one of the bird cages, this parrot decided that the rivet on my pocket looked like lunch. Another one seemed to like my right ankle and a third found the top of my left foot to be quite tasty. There are lots of turtles, caimans (similar to an alligator), and iguanas. |
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These are Golden Lion Tamarinds, some of the rarest and most endangered species in the world. There are probably less than 1000 left in the wild. The zoo hopes that this will become a breeding pair and increase the numbers. |
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This is a very lonely wooly monkey. Poachers killed her mother and sold her into the pet trade. As she was being smuggled into St Maarten, she was discovered and turned over to the zoo. Currently, she is awaiting shipment to a zoo in Holland to be with some new companions. Until then, she likes company and would really appreciate a visit from you. After a bit of introductory exploration, she becomes quite friendly. On the left, as we eye one another warily, she is starting to become friendly, but still has her tail attached to the chain link cage for a quick escape. On the right, after deciding that I am friendly, she has released her grip on the cage.
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