A baby patas monkey at a Mexican zoo has been given a stuffed teddy bear for comfort after its inexperienced mother was unable to care for it, zoo officials said.

The monkey, named Yuji, was born in early March in the western state of Jalisco, and has been in the care of the Guadalajara Zoo’s Integral Centre of Animal Medicine and Wellbeing (CIMBA).

According to zoo staff, Yuji is fed four times a day with baby formula, vitamins, and protein cereal. Visitors to the zoo have expressed delight in seeing the infant monkey clinging to his plush bear for support.

Mexican media has nicknamed the young monkey the "Tapatio Punch," drawing comparisons to a Japanese macaque that went viral earlier this year for clutching a stuffed orangutan sold by IKEA.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

GUADALAJARA, JALISCO, MÉXICO (APRIL 11, 2026) (REUTERS – Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF PATAS MONKEY YUJI DRINKING FROM BABY BOTTLE ON TOP OF TEDDY BEAR

2. MONKEY IN HANDS OF CAREGIVER

3. VARIOUS OF MONKEY ON TOP OF TEDDY BEAR

4. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VETERINARIAN AND MANAGER OF PRIMATES DEPARTMENT AT GUADALAJARA ZOO, IVAN REYNOSO, SAYING:

"He is in our care here at CIMBA (Integral Centre of Animal Medicine and Wellbeing) because his mother was a first-time mother and did not have the experience needed to care for him. Therefore, we decided to provide assisted rearing by doctors, veterinarians and caretakers from the primates area here at CIMBA."

5. VARIOUS OF MONKEY GRABBING TEDDY BEAR

6. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VETERINARIAN AND MANAGER OF PRIMATES DEPARTMENT AT GUADALAJARA ZOO, IVAN REYNOSO, SAYING:

"They cling, and at that age all the security they have comes from their mother. So, in the absence of his mother, what we do is substitute her with a stuffed toy that, as you can see, is furry so that he can hold on to it. This is completely natural behaviour for him. He needs to feel sheltered and safe in order to move around and even to feed himself. If you noticed, he clings completely to his stuffed toy. This toy will gradually be removed so that when he reaches an appropriate age, he can let go of it completely and integrate with other patas monkeys."

7. VARIOUS OF VISITORS TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS

8. VISITORS WATCHING MONKEY

9. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VETERINARIAN AND MANAGER OF PRIMATES DEPARTMENT AT GUADALAJARA ZOO, IVAN REYNOSO, SAYING:

"We tried to reintegrate him with other mothers to see whether they could adopt him, but it did not work. So, the first days of life for any animal — in this case for Yuji — were essential. If he was not fed and comforted, it could have had negative consequences for his life."

10. VARIOUS OF PATAS MONKEYS WITH THEIR BABIES IN ZOO CAGE

11. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VETERINARIAN AT GUADALAJARA ZOO, SANDRA ARELY FRANCO, SAYING:

"It refers to an anime character from Jujutsu Kaisen. This character has unbreakable strength, and I wanted to give him that because when Yuji was born, not only did his mother lack the maternal care expected of a female, but at the same time Yuji did not have strength in his little legs. He could support himself with his arms, but not with his legs, and I was looking for a name that would give him that strength. That is why I chose that name."

12. VARIOUS OF MONKEY ON TOP OF TEDDY BEAR