World’s Cutest Monkey Rejected by His Mum

We might count monkeys among our relatives (shhh, don't tell Sarah Palin), but I'm happy to say most of us wouldn't do what a marmoset mom of triplets did to the cutest thing I've seen since my kid wrapped her arms around her best friend and puckered up.

The marmoset at a British safari park gave birth to a rare set of triplets, but with two teets and three babies, she did the math. Her decision? Bye bye little monkey. Fortunately for little John Wayne (because he's a quiet man? I don't know - he's definitely no challenge to the Duke in stature), the park photographer has stepped in to play foster mom.

John Wayne is barely the size of photographer Penny Boyd's thumb, and she has to feed him with a syringe at two-hour intervals throughout the day and night. Apparently newborn marmosets don't sleep through the night either (an inherited trait?). This is actually the second baby monkey Boyd has had to adopt since marmosets were introduced at the tourist destination. Elliott is older, but not much bigger – marmosets are the world's smallest primates.

She says John Wayne will make an excellent little brother for Elliott to play with. Let's just hope he doesn't get too cheeky.

Image/Source: Telegraph