Punch the infant orphan monkey outgrowing his cuddly toy and making pals
After months of relying on a cuddly stuffed orangutan for comfort following his abandonment, Punch the baby macaque has made a heartwarming milestone, it has emerged
Punch captured hearts around the world after images emerged of him cuddling the toy(Image: JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty Images)
A baby monkey that captured hearts around the world is outgrowing the orangutan soft toy that comforted him through early rejection from his mother and other monkeys.
Punch the macaque was seen in heartbreaking videos wandering alone with the toy after being pushed away by other monkeys. He clutched it tightly while being harassed, dragged and chased by other animals in the group at a zoo in Japan.
When other monkeys shooed the baby away, Punch rushed back to the toy orangutan, hugging it for comfort. But he has been using the toy less in recent days, it has emerged.
Punch was recently seen climbing on the back of another monkey, sitting with adults and sometimes getting groomed or hugged.
Sanae Izumi, a 61-year-old Punch fan from Osaka who came to the zoo because she was worried about the baby monkey, said: “It was good to see him grow, and I’m reassured. He is adorable!”
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.
Kosuke Kano, a 24-year-old zookeeper, said: “Helping Punch learn the rules of monkey society and being accepted as a member is our most important task.”
Punch became so popular after images of him and his toy appeared 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 not using the toy most of the time now is a good thing, zoo staff say. Director Shigekazu Mizushina said: “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 Mr Mizushina said the next thing keepers wanted to see was Punch bunched up with other monkeys to sleep.
Zookeepers introduced the stuffed orangutan after trying alternatives, including rolling towels to different thicknesses for him to cling to. Kosuke Shikano said: “Baby Japanese macaques cling on to their mother’s body after birth to build muscle strength.
“They also get a sense of security through holding on to something. However, because he had been abandoned, Punch had nothing to grip on to We thought that [the toy] looking like a monkey might help Punch integrate back into the troop,” he added.
Behie said that the behaviour of other monkeys towards Punch “isn’t bullying or any abnormal behaviour, but regular social interaction”.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.
