Social climber: Punch the monkey starts to outgrow his Ikea plushie | Japan

Punch, the macaque cub who stole the hearts of animal lovers around the world, is now leaving behind the Ikea djungelskog plush that comforted him after he was rejected by his mother and other monkeys at a zoo in Japan.

Images of a seven-month-old baby dragging a toy bigger than himself attracted the attention of the residents of the Ichikawa city zoo near Tokyo. When the other monkeys pushed the baby away, Punch ran to the toy orangutan and hugged it for comfort.

But he is using the toy less and less and has even begun to mingle with other macaques at the zoo, where visitors flock to see him survive the ordeal. In recent days, Punch has been seen climbing on the back of another monkey, sitting with adults, and sometimes being groomed or cuddled.

“It was nice and relieved to see him grow up,” said Sanae Izumi, a 61-year-old fan from Osaka who came to the zoo because she was worried about the baby monkey. “Very sweet!” Other visitors shared video clips From Punch, where he seems to mix with the other monkeys.

“It is our most important duty to help Punch learn the rules of the monkey society and be accepted as a member,” said 24-year-old zookeeper Kosuke Kano.

Punch was abandoned by his mother after his birth, probably due to exhaustion. Zoo keepers nursed him and gave him the toy to train him to cling, a skill newborn macaques need to survive.

He was later filmed being dragged many times and chased by old Japanese macaques inside the enclosure. Early clips showed him wandering around with the toy alone after being pushed by other monkeys. clutch firmly while being abused.

The videos raised questions about why monkeys abandon their babies. Primatology expert Alison Behie from the Australian National University said such abandonment was unusual but could occur under certain circumstances, citing age, health and inexperience as possible factors.

Behie said: “In Punch’s case, their mother was a first-time mother, which shows her inexperience.

“Zoo keepers also suggest that Punch was born during a heatwave, 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 an infant whose health may be compromised by environmental conditions.”

Punch became so popular when images of him and his toy were posted online last month that the zoo had to introduce rules asking visitors to remain silent. He also limited monitoring time to 10 minutes to reduce the stress of the 50 or so monkeys.

Zoo officials were encouraged by signs that Punch was spending much less time with his cuddly friend.

“When he grows out of the plush toy that encourages his independence, and that’s what we hope for,” director Shigekazu Mizushina said.

Although Punch still sleeps with his toy every night, Mizushina said zoo officials hope to see him sleeping with other monkeys soon.