Punch, The Japanese Baby Monkey Who Clung To His Orangutan Plushie, Has Finally Started Making Friends
Two months later, Punch had slowly made progress in integrating with the troop and outgrown his plushie.
Punch, the six-month-old macaque monkey in Japan, who went viral for clinging to a stuffed monkey plushie after being abandoned by his mother, has started making friends and is outgrowing his plushie.
After his mother abandoned him, Punch was hand-raised by humans before being brought to the Ichikawa City Zoo, where he was introduced to a troop of macaques on Jan. 19.
However, it was extremely hard for him to integrate into the group as monkeys raised by humans in their early months often struggle socially, becoming dependent on people and wary of their own kind.
His caretakers had given him a plush monkey — an IKEA DJUNGELSKOG to be exact — which he was often seen clinging to or dragging along for comfort as he approached other monkeys.
Two months later, Punch had slowly made progress in integrating with the troop and outgrown his plushie.
He has started to actively approach the other monkeys on his own, trying to communicate with them and actually playing together with them, the head of Ichikawa Zoo and gardens division told Reuters.
“We’ve been seeing many more scenes like that, and as caretakers, we find that very encouraging,” he said.
Visitor numbers to the zoo have also surged since Punch’s story went viral, with many coming specifically for the scene.
Now, the zoo has established new rules to manage the flow of visitors and to reduce any possible stress for Punch and his fellow macaques.
Sofia Hou
