A male rhesus macaque is being hand-reared:
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HE MAY be a monkey but Ronnie is clinging to a mother kangaroo stuffed toy.
The 14-day-old rhesus macaque was left to die on the floor of his Darling Downs Zoo enclosure after his sister forced him away from his mother.
Zoo owners Steve and Stephanie Robinson took Ronnie home, where he has slept cradling a stuffed toy for two weeks.
“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,” Mr Robinson said.
Caring for Ronnie meant waking up every two hours and going through “a whole heap of wipes”.
The bear got so grubby the Robinsons had to get a second to alternate with the washing.
“It also involves spending time with his family so he knows he is a monkey and not a human,” he said.
Ronnie will not be on public display until he is successfully reintegrated into his family, which could take up to two years.
A five-time monkey father, Mr Robinson remained confident.
“We’ve never failed yet,” he said.
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