Baby Monkey Yuji Cuddles With a Stuffed Animal Every Day After His Mom Couldn’t Hold Him
A tiny patas monkey at a zoo in Mexico has captured hearts around the world — and the photos tell you exactly why. Six-week-old Yuji spends his days clutching a plush dog for comfort after his first-time mother was unable to care for him, and the images of the little guy hanging on to his fuzzy stand-in are as gut-wrenching as they sound.
Yuji was born on March 3 at the Guadalajara Zoo in Guadalajara, Mexico, weighing just 443 grams — under a pound. Shortly after giving birth, his mother, Kamaria, began acting unusually and struggled to hold her baby. As a first-time parent, Kamaria was unable to form a maternal bond, and because the infant couldn’t cling to her, zoo staff made the difficult decision to separate them.
At that fragile weight, Yuji needed immediate intervention. He was placed in an incubator to regulate his body temperature and protect his health. A caregiver later named him Yuji, inspired by a character from Japanese manga.
Yuji the Patas Monkey and His Rotating Stuffed Animal Collection
In his early weeks, caregivers fed Yuji fortified milk from a bottle and monitored him constantly. To give him some sense of comfort, they handed him a stuffed toy to act as a substitute for his mother — and he latched on immediately, per Reuters.
To keep things sanitary, staff rotate between three toys — a dog, a bear and a monkey — so he always has a clean one. His crate at the zoo’s Integral Centre of Animal Medicine and Wellbeing, known as CIMBA, has also been outfitted with a small hammock and ropes to encourage physical development. Yuji currently weighs 1.4 pounds and gets four bottles a day starting at 7 a.m.
Yuji’s Team of 12 Caregivers and What Comes Next
Yuji hasn’t yet interacted physically with other monkeys. He spends most of his time in a crate at CIMBA, where a team of 12 veterinarians and biologists look after him, per AP News.
There’s no confirmed date for when he’ll be moved to a shared habitat with other patas monkeys. According to veterinarian Iván Reynoso Ruiz, that step will happen once Yuji transitions from a milk-only diet to eating fruits and vegetables — likely when he’s about six months old.
How Yuji Compares to Punch, the Viral Japanese Macaque
Some people have drawn comparisons between Yuji and Punch, a young male Japanese macaque born in July 2025 at Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan. Punch became internationally known in early 2026 after videos showed him clinging to a stuffed orangutan toy. He had also been abandoned by his mother and was hand-raised by zookeepers.
Yuji’s situation is different, though. Unlike Punch, he hasn’t had any physical interaction with other monkeys and remains in the care center full time.
The Debate Over Yuji’s Care and Zoo Intervention
Not everyone supports this kind of intervention. Animal rights activist Diana Valencia argues that animals should live and develop in their natural environments, saying they have the right to grow and live where they belong.
Reynoso Ruiz explained that modern zoos play an important role in protecting species facing global threats. He said intervening was necessary to save Yuji’s life and that without this care, the infant likely wouldn’t have survived in the wild.
For now, Yuji keeps clinging to his stuffed dog — a small, soft stand-in for the bond he never got to have.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
