Punch, a baby macaque who stole the hearts of animal lovers around the world, is outgrowing his Ikea djungelskog plush that comforted him after his mother and other monkeys initially rejected him at a zoo in Japan.
Images of the seven-month-old boy dragging a toy larger than him caught the attention of residents of the Ichikawa city zoo, near Tokyo. When other monkeys chased the baby away, Punch ran to the toy orangutan and hugged it to comfort it.
But he has been using the toy less and has even started mixing with other macaques at the zoo, where visitors have flocked to see him get over his ordeal. On a recent day, Punch was seen climbing on another monkey’s back, sitting with adults and sometimes being groomed or hugged.
“It was good to see him grow and I’m calm,” said Sanae Izumi, a 61-year-old fan from Osaka who came to the zoo because she was worried about the baby monkey. “He’s adorable!” Other visitors have posted video clips of Punch in which he appears to mingle with other monkeys.
“Helping Punch learn the rules of monkey society and be accepted as a member is our most important task,” said Kosuke Kano, a 24-year-old zookeeper.
Punch was abandoned by his mother after his birth, presumably due to exhaustion. Zookeepers cared for him and gave him the toy to teach him how to cling, a skill newborn macaques need to survive.
He was then filmed several times being dragged and chased by older Japanese macaques inside the enclosure. Early clips showed him wandering around alone with the toy after being pushed around by other monkeys and holding on tightly while being harassed.
The videos raised questions about why monkeys abandon their young. Alison Behie, a primatology expert at the Australian National University, said such abandonment is unusual but can occur under certain conditions, citing age, health and inexperience as possible factors.
Behie said: “In Punch’s case, his mother was a first-time mother, which indicates inexperience.
“Zookeepers also suggest that Punch was born during a heat wave, which would be a high-stress environment. In environments where survival is threatened by external stress, mothers may prioritize their own health and future reproduction rather than continuing to care for a baby whose health may be compromised by those environmental conditions.”
When pictures of him and his toy appeared online last month, Punch became so popular that the zoo had to introduce rules asking visitors to remain silent. He also limited viewing time to 10 minutes to reduce stress among his approximately 50 monkeys.
Zoo officials have been encouraged by signs that Punch is spending much less time with his cuddly companion.
“When he stops being a stuffed toy that encourages his independence, that’s what we hope,” said director Shigekazu Mizushina.
Although Punch still sleeps with his toy every night, Mizushina said zookeepers hope to soon see him sleeping curled up with other monkeys.
