Mexico Baby Monkey Yuji
A baby monkey named Yuji plays with with a stuffed dog that serves as a surrogate, while he receives care at a special care center at the zoo in Guadalajara, Mexico, Wednesday, April 15, 2026.
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Yuji, a 6-week-old patas monkey, wakes up every day clinging to a stuffed dog. This plush companion acts as a surrogate mom after he was rejected by his own mother, Kamaria, a first-time parent who was unable to form a maternal bond. Yuji represents the most recent case of assisted rearing at the Guadalajara Zoo in Mexico. Unlike Punch, a Japanese macaque who went viral, Yuji has not yet had physical contact with other monkeys. A date has not been set for Yuji’s transfer to the habitat shared by other patas monkeys. His move will depend on when he transitions to an adult monkey’s diet.
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