Rejected Macaque Bonds with Plush Toy at Japanese Zoo

A six-month-old Japanese macaque named Punch has captured global attention after being rejected by his mother at birth and forming a deep bond with a stuffed orangutan toy at Ichikawa City Zoo in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Born in July 2024, the infant monkey was hand-reared by zookeepers who provided him with plush toys to mimic the comfort typically offered by a mother, leading to viral videos and photos that have sparked widespread sympathy online.

Punch's story began shortly after his arrival when his mother and the troop abandoned him, a rare but challenging occurrence in captive primate care. Zookeepers stepped in to bottle-feed him and monitor his development, introducing soft toys to address his innate need for physical contact. Among them, an IKEA DJUNGELSKOG plush orangutan became his constant companion, which he carries while sleeping, exploring his enclosure, or approaching other monkeys. Footage shared by the zoo on social media platforms shows Punch cuddling the toy, dragging it around, and even using it as a buffer during initial interactions with peers, highlighting the primate's instinct for "contact comfort" as described in psychological research on infant macaques.