A baby monkey at a Mexico zoo has captured the hearts of internet users, drawing comparisons to viral monkey 'Punch'. The six-week-old patas monkey, Yuji, was born on March 3 at the Guadalajara Zoo in Jalisco, Mexico, and is now being hand-raised by staff after his first-time mother was unable to care for him.
Zoo staff have provided Yuji with a stuffed toy to mimic the comfort typically provided by a mother, and the young monkey has been seen hugging the plushie closely, a behaviour experts say is entirely natural.
'[Baby monkeys] cling, and at that age, all the security they have comes from their mother,' veterinarian Ivan Reynoso said. 'So in the absence of their mother, what we do is substitute her with a stuffed toy… This is completely natural behavior for him.'
Yuji has been placed under constant supervision at the zoo's specialised animal care unit, where he is being fed a diet of formula, vitamins and cereal multiple times a day.
Caretakers say the plush toy will only be a temporary support, and will be gradually removed as Yuji grows older to help him transition toward independence and social interaction with other monkeys.
