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Punch the Monkey Makes a Friend
Punch, abandoned at birth, clings to an IKEA stuffed orangutan to aid his social reintegration, delighting visitors and becoming a viral sensation at Ichikawa City Zoo.
- On Feb 20 at Ichikawa City Zoo, a baby Japanese macaque named Punch was abandoned by his mother at birth and keepers provided an orange, bug-eyed stuffed orangutan sold by IKEA as comfort.
- Kosuke Shikano, zookeeper, suspects extreme heat in July caused Punch's mother to abandon him after he was born seven months ago and an onlooker alerted zookeepers.
- After trying substitutes, keepers settled on the orange, bug-eyed stuffed orangutan; Punch drags the oversized cuddly toy everywhere and has rarely been seen without it.
- The pair turned the monkey enclosure into a must-see attraction, drawing visitors after viral videos, while zookeepers say Punch is steadily integrating with the troop.
- Looking ahead, Shikano said `I think there will come a day when he no longer needs his stuffed toy` as staff chose the stuffed orangutan for reintegration with the troop of Japanese macaques.
56 Articles
56 Articles
Punch clings to zoo keeper’s leg after they switch out dirty rag doll ‘mom’
Watch as Punch the monkey clings to a zoo keeper’s leg as they switch out his beloved cuddly orangutan toy. Punch, a six-month-old baby macaque from Japan, has broken millions of hearts after videos of him dragging around a stuffed animal given to him as a substitute mother went viral online. He had been rejected by his biological mother shortly after he was born in July last year, and multiple clips show Punch also being ostracised by his fello…
The little macaque "Punch" is expelled from a Japanese zoo by his mother and is looking for a cloth monkey from Ikea as a cuddly substitute. After all, the people put him in the heart for this.
The animal defense organization PETA demanded on Tuesday the transfer to a sanctuary of the Japanese macaque Punch, which went viral for clinging to a stuffed animal in the zoo of the city of Ichikawa, claiming that the animal suffers a trauma derived from captivity and isolation."Like all macaques, Punch should grow in a united family group, learning vital social skills and exploring a rich natural habitat, and not seeking the comfort of a toy …
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