Marmosets Belle and Fred have triplets

Two common marmosets at Combe Martin Wildlife Park have become parents.

Belle and Fred gave birth to triplets on January 6.

But joy turned to sadness a week later when one of the marmosets stopped feeding and had to be taken away from the park to be cared for by a keeper.

Dawn Gilbert, owner of the park, said: "It was a bit smaller than the others and we noticed it wasn't feeding.

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"Our policy as a park is not to hand rear if possible as it can create problems in the future. Therefore we will try not to intervene in nature unless it is important to the survival of the species."

But the baby was taken home by a keeper for the night before being put back in with its parents who accepted it straight away.

Unfortunately the marmoset was found dead the following morning.

Dawn said it is extremely rare for marmosets to have triplets and they may have been the only ones in the country had they all survived.

The remaining two youngsters are doing well.

"They cling around the circumference of their mother's body, one on the front and one on the back and then they swap round," said Dawn