Social climber: Punch the monkey outgrows his IKEA plushie

Punch, a young macaque who captured worldwide attention, is outgrowing the soft plush toy that soothed him after he was initially spurned by his mother and fellow primates at a Japanese zoo.

Photos of the seven‑month‑old hauling a toy larger than himself drew notice to Ichikawa City Zoo, located near Tokyo. When the other monkeys drove the infant away, Punch hurried back to the stuffed orangutan, clutching it for reassurance.

Now he relies on the toy less and has begun interacting with other macaques in the enclosure, where visitors gather to watch his progress. Recently, observers saw Punch perched on another monkey’s back, sitting among adults and even receiving grooming and embraces.

“It was heartening to see him develop, and it eased my worries,” said Sanae Izumi, 61, a resident of Osaka who traveled to the zoo out of concern for the youngster. “He’s charming!” Other guests have shared video clips showing Punch mingling with the group.

“Guiding Punch to understand macaque social rules and become an accepted member is our primary aim,” explained Kosuke Kano, a 24‑year‑old keeper.

Punch’s mother left him shortly after birth, likely due to fatigue. Staff cared for him and provided the plush toy to encourage clinging, a skill newborn macaques need to survive.

Subsequent footage captured older Japanese macaques dragging and chasing him around the habitat. Early recordings showed him wandering alone with the toy after being pushed aside, gripping it tightly while enduring harassment.

The clips sparked inquiries into why primates sometimes abandon their offspring. Alison Behie, a primatology researcher at the Australian National University, noted that such abandonment is rare but can happen under certain circumstances, citing age, health and inexperience as possible causes.

Behie added: “In Punch’s situation, the mother was a first‑time parent, suggesting inexperience. Zookeepers also point out that he was born during a heatwave, a stressful condition that can lead mothers to prioritize their own wellbeing and future breeding over caring for a vulnerable infant.”

When images of Punch and his toy circulated online last month, his popularity forced the zoo to set new guidelines, asking visitors to remain quiet and limiting viewing periods to ten minutes to lessen stress for the roughly 50 monkeys housed there.

Officials are encouraged by signs that Punch is spending considerably less time with his cuddly companion.

“When he outgrows the plush toy that has fostered his independence, that is our hope,” said director Shigekazu Mizushina.

Although Punch still sleeps with the toy each night, Mizushina said staff hope to soon see him resting together with other members of the troop.