"Helping Punch learn the rules of monkey society and being accepted as a member is our most important task. When he grows out of the plush toy that encourages his independence, and that's what we are hoping for. Punch still sleeps with his toy every night, but the next thing keepers want to see is Punch bunched up with other monkeys to sleep."
"Punch was abandoned by his mother after his birth, presumably because of exhaustion. Zookeepers nursed him and gave him the toy to train him to cling, an ability newborn macaques need to survive. When other monkeys shooed the baby away, Punch rushed back to the toy orangutan, hugging it for comfort."
"It was good to see him grow, and I'm reassured. He is adorable! Punch was so popular after images of him and his toy showed up online last month, the zoo had to set rules to make visitors be quiet and to limit viewing to 10 minutes to reduce stress for the more than 50 other monkeys."
Punch, a Japanese macaque born in July 2025 at Ichikawa city zoo near Tokyo, was abandoned by his mother after birth. Zookeepers provided him with an orangutan plushie toy to help him learn to cling, a survival skill for newborn macaques. Initially rejected by other monkeys, Punch relied heavily on the toy for comfort. As he has grown, he now spends less time with the plushie, instead climbing on other monkeys, sitting with adults, and receiving grooming and affection. His progress attracted significant online attention, requiring the zoo to implement viewing restrictions. Zookeepers view his decreasing dependence on the toy as positive development, indicating successful socialization and independence. Punch continues sleeping with his toy nightly, but staff hope he will eventually sleep alongside other monkeys.
Read at ABC7 Los Angeles
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