Home and dry! Endangered baby monkey finds a surrogate mum after being rejected by its own mother

It's a tiring life for little Bueno after the ordeal of being rejected by his mum only to be adopted by his keeper at the monkey centre where he lives.

The woolly monkey was snubbed by his mum Sara after a birth that took everyone by surprise. 

But the endangered baby monkey has now found himself a surrogate mother in the form of monkey expert Dr Alison Cronin.

Full name Bueno Junior, he is one of just a handful of woolly monkeys to be born in captivity in the world.

Alison has taken the tiny cuddly creature under her wing and feeds him bottles of milk and handfuls of rice four times a day.

Bueno is a long way from his native South American rain forest habitat

Bueno Junior has found a new mum in monkey expert Dr Alison Cronin

She wraps the mite in a fluffy blanket to keep him warm and comforts him by rubbing his lips on her little finger as if it was his mother’s cheek.

Staff at Monkey World, near Wareham, Dorset, only realised his mum was pregnant when they found her having contractions.
After a difficult labour Sara gave birth to Bueno, who weighed in at just 15ozs.
 

Dr Alison Cronin (pictured) expects Bueno to be hand reared for five months before being joining the pack

'We had to shake and rub him to get him going, but then he started gasping and wriggling'

PLIGHT OF THE WOOLLY MONKEY

• Humans have decimated native Woolly monkeys by destroying the rain forests where they live, killing them for food and capturing them for the illegal pet trade
• There are four species of Woolly monkey which all live in the rain forests of South America; particularly Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Peru
• They have prehensile tails; which means they are strong and flexible enough to hold and climb with
• Woolly monkeys are hunted by a variety of species of eagles and cats in the wild, including the jaguar

Alison said: “We came in one morning and the primate care staff noticed Sara’s abdomen was straining and she was having contractions.

“We tried to give her baby back as she was coming round from the anaesthetic but she (Sara) wouldn’t take him.

“This wasn’t too surprising after everything she had been through.

“Of course, we would have preferred Sara to have been able to rear her first infant.

“As soon as Junior was born there were a few worrying moments.

“We had to shake and rub him to get him going, but then he started gasping and wriggling which was great.

“We tried to leave him with her but she just ripped him off her.

“However, we are hopeful that next time, Sara’s labour will progress properly and she’ll be able to deliver normally.

“When that happens, all of the right instincts will be there.”
 

Woolly monkeys facing 'imminent extinction' in the wild

It is thought Bueno Junior will be hand-reared for five months before joining one of the three packs of woolly monkeys at the ape centre.

Junior’s dad, Bueno Senior, sadly passed away before his son was born.

Woolly monkeys come from the rainforests of South America.

Living in relatively large social groups ranging from 10 to 45 individuals, their ideal habitat is humid and mature tropical forests.

Alison added: “They are facing imminent extinction and Monkey World is the only place on the planet where you can see groups of Woolly monkeys in captivity.”

What a mouthful: Little Bueno sucks Dr Cronin's finger for comfort