Baby monkey rejected by mum loves his cuddly toy

He lives at a zoo called Darling and two-week-old rhesus macaque Ronnie certainly lives up to that title.

The adorable young monkey is currently being cared for at the Darling Downs Zoo in Queensland, Australia.

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He is being hand-reared by zoo owners Steve and Stephanie Robinson after being left to die on the floor of his enclosure after his sister forced him away from his mother.

Steve said: "For the first week all he wanted to do was sit and cuddle his teddy, but now he likes to climb inside Stephanie's shirt."

Little Ronnie has to be fed every two hours day and night but the Robinsons are also making sure he spends lots of time with his real family so that he knows he's a monkey not a human.

Reintegrating him fully back with the group could take up to two years.

According to Wikipedia, the rhesus macaque is listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, and its tolerance of a broad range of habitats.

Native to South, Central and Southeast Asia, troops of macaques inhabit a great variety of habitats from grasslands to arid and forested areas, but also close to human settlements.

They are mostly herbivorous, feeding mainly on fruit, but also eating seeds, roots, buds, bark, and cereals.