Japanese zoo confirms breakthrough for Punch the monkey after abandonment

The baby orphan macaque appears to have outgrown the orangutan plushie that comforted him through early rejection AsiaJapanJapanese zoo confirms breakthrough for Punch the monkey after abandonmentThe baby orphan macaque appears to have outgrown the orangutan plushie that comforted him through early rejectionMari Yamaguchi Thursday 05 March 2026 06:37 GMTBookmarkBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popoverBaby monkey Punch has found a new troop and is no longer alone, zoo saysYour support helps us to tell the storyRead moreSupport NowFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read morePunch, an abandoned baby macaque, who found comfort in an orangutan plushie after being rejected by his mother and other monkeys, now appears to be outgrowing his beloved toy. Images of Punch dragging around the toy bigger than him drew attention to the residents of a zoo near Tokyo. When other monkeys shunned the infant, Punch rushed back to the toy orangutan, hugging it for comfort.But he's been using the toy less. On a recent day, Punch was seen climbing on the back of another monkey, sitting with adults and sometimes getting groomed or hugged.“It was good to see him grow, and I’m reassured,” said Sanae Izumi, a 61-year-old Punch fan from Osaka who came to the zoo because she was worried about the baby monkey.open image in galleryPunch, right, sits with others in the monkeys' playground at the Ichikawa city zoo (AP)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.“Helping Punch learn the rules of monkey society and being accepted as a member is our most important task,” said Kosuke Kano, a 24-year-old zookeeper. open image in galleryPunch is a Japanese macaque born on July 26, 2025 (AP)Punch was so popular after images of him and his toy showed up 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 eschewing the toy most of the time now is a good thing.“When he grows out of the plush toy that encourages his independence, and that’s what we are hoping for,” zoo director Shigekazu Mizushina said.Punch still sleeps with his toy every night, but Mizushina said the next thing keepers want to see is Punch bunched up with other monkeys to sleep.More aboutTokyoOsakaMacaqueMost popularPopular videosBulletinRead next