Monkey talk

Staff at Alma Park Zoo in Brisbane, Queensland, have been learning Danish in order to help settle in their new acquisition. Gomez the Emperor Tamarin monkey has been flown in from Aalborg Zoo in Denmark as part of a new breeding programme. A female companion for Gomez is currently in quarantine, having been transported in from France for the programme.

Although Emperor tamarins are native to the South American rainforest, four year old Gomez has spent all of his life in the Danish zoo. Apparently he is familiar with phrases such as goht abe (good monkey) so the staff responsible for primates at Alma Park are learning these so the monkey can feel more at home in his new environment. Of course, to get going in learning more words they should start taking Danish lessons at Language Trainers!