It was a birthday worthy of celebration, when the Kansas City Zoo welcomed three endangered baby cotton-top tamarins into the world last month. And while only two survived the first day, zoo officials say they’re pleased.

The babies, who are a species of monkey, had a smooth birth on May 19, said KC Zoo executive director Sean Putney.

Since then, they’ve mostly clung to the backs of their parents, he said.

“Just try to think about it from a human perspective. They have to rely on their own strength from birth to cling on to the hair of their parents. You can’t possibly think that of a human baby,” he said. “That’s a huge difference between us and a lot of primates’ babies.”

It’s uncommon for all three babies to survive after a triple birth, said Putney. Anatomically, the tamarins onl

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