Meet Betty, a Goeldi's monkey named in honour of the late actress and animal lover <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_White">Betty White</a>. Last January 15th, primate keepers at the Houston Zoo in Texas, US found <a href="https://www.houstonzoo.org/blog/animal-professionals-hand-raising-tiny-goeldis-monkey/" alt="baby Betty hanging onto a branch" class="on">baby Betty hanging onto a branch</a> in the Goeldi's monkey night house.

Goeldi's monkeys, named after their Swiss naturalist discoverer <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Émil_Goeldi" alt="Émil August Goeldi" class="on">Émil August Goeldi</a> (pronounced "gell-dee") are naturally small, but Betty was smaller even than a typical newborn. Goeldi's monkey newborns usually weigh 50 grams or more, but when Betty was found, she weighed only 34 grams.

Betty's abnormally low weight concerned the Houston Zoo's animal care team because a baby's size and strength is imperative to its survival. It was difficult for Betty to grip onto her parents' fur, as shown in the picture above of a Goeldi's monkey <a href="https://www.paigntonzoo.org.uk/animals-az/goeldis-monkey/" alt="mother-baby pair at the Paignton Zoo" class="on">mother-baby pair at the Paignton Zoo</a> in Devon, UK.

Attempts to encourage Betty's parents, Kylie and Opie, to take her were not immediately successful, but the professional animal care team at the Houston Zoo are trying their best to take good care of Betty. They have employed practices established by the <a href="https://www.aza.org/species-survival-plan-programs?locale=en">Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan</a> for Goeldi's monkeys to hand-raise Betty, who will always be within sight of her parents.#Monkey #GoeldisMonkey #HoustonZoo #Primate #AnimalCareImage source: <a href="https://www.houstonzoo.org/blog/animal-professionals-hand-raising-tiny-goeldis-monkey/">Houston Zoo</a> (Betty and carer); <a href="https://www.paigntonzoo.org.uk/animals-az/goeldis-monkey/" alt="Paignton Zoo" class="on">Paignton Zoo</a> (baby Goeldi's monkey hanging onto mother's back)

#houstonzoo