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Two extremely rare pied tamarin babies are being cared for round-the-clock by keepers at Paignton Zoo.

The babies were born on New Year's Eve, but were abandoned by their mother, Leia.

They were rescued by primate keeper Andrew Fry and placed in the zoo's heated veterinary incubator, where staff kept a watchful eye all night on New Year's Eve.

At birth, the male baby, which has been named Chewie, weighed 53 grams and the female – named Padmé – 41 grams. They were fed initially on glucose solution, then moved on to diluted baby formula, building up to near normal strength after five days.

Keepers at the zoo are now taking it in turns to take the babies home with them at night, to make sure they are properly fed and cared for.

Pied tamarins are a critically endangered species - so the survival of these babies is very important.

Dinner time for one of the babies (Herald Express)

Senior head mammal keeper Julian Chapman said: "Genetically it is important that we get youngsters from this pair and continue their bloodline. The species is critically endangered – every youngster is vital to the future of the species."

Leia and her mate, Jedi, have had a pair of babies before but they didn't survive.

Zoo spokesman Phillip Knowling said things are looking better for the new arrivals.

"They are getting bigger and stronger and more mobile. The keepers gave up their New Year's Eve to look after them.

"And they are now taking the babies home with them every night. It shows their dedication."

The babies spend all day in sight, smell and hearing of the adults, clinging to a small piece of carpet inside the incubator.

The round-the-clock care will go on for around six weeks, when the babies will be re-introduced. The night feeds will then stop - but they will still need milk feeds from the keepers for another few months.

Pied tamarins are the most endangered of all the Amazon primates. In proportion to their body size, these tiny creatures have larger brains than humans.

They are classified as critically endangered, which means that they face an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the very near future.

Leia came to Paignton Zoo from Belfast Zoo Jedi came from Apenheul Primate Park in the Netherlands. Both are owned - as are all members of their species in collections outside Brazil - by the Brazilian government.