India, April 16 -- A baby monkey at a zoo in Mexico is winning hearts online, and drawing comparisons to viral monkey "Punch". He was spotted clinging to a soft toy for comfort following maternal rejection.

The six-week-old patas monkey, Yuji, was born on March 3 at the Guadalajara Zoo in Jalisco, Mexico, where he is now being hand-raised by staff. His first-time mother was unable to care for him, according to reports by Dexerto.

Zoo staff have provided Yuji with a stuffed toy to mimic the comfort typically provided by a mother. The young monkey has since 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," veteri...