A child Japanese macaque named Punch sits subsequent to a stuffed orangutan at Ichikawa Metropolis Zoo, in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, Japan on Friday (February 19, 2026).
| Photograph Credit score: Reuters
At a zoo exterior Tokyo, the monkey enclosure has develop into a must-see attraction because of an inseparable pair: Punch, a child Japanese macaque, and his stuffed orangutan companion.
Punch’s mom deserted the macaque when he was born seven months in the past on the Ichikawa Metropolis Zoo and when an onlooker observed and alerted zookeepers, they swung into motion.
Japanese child macaques sometimes cling to their moms to construct muscle power and for a way of safety, so Punch wanted a swift intervention, zookeeper Kosuke Shikano stated.
The keepers experimented with substitutes together with rolled-up towels and different stuffed animals earlier than selecting the orange, bug-eyed orangutan, offered by Swedish furnishings model IKEA.
“This stuffed animal has comparatively lengthy hair and several other simple locations to carry,” Shikano stated. “We thought that its resemblance to a monkey may assist Punch combine again into the troop later on, and that’s why we selected it.”
Punch has not often been seen with out it since, dragging the cuddly toy in all places though it is greater than him, and delighting followers who’ve flocked to the zoo since movies of the 2 went viral.
“Seeing Punch on social media, deserted by his mother and father however nonetheless attempting so onerous, actually moved me,” stated 26-year-old nurse Miyu Igarashi. “So after I received the prospect to fulfill up with a pal at present, I recommended we go see Punch collectively.”
Shikano thinks Punch’s mom deserted him due to the acute warmth in July when she gave start.
Punch has had some variations with the opposite monkeys as he has tried to speak with them, however zookeepers say that is a part of the educational course of and he’s steadily integrating with the troop.
“I feel there’ll come a day when he now not wants his stuffed toy,” Shikano stated.
Printed – February 20, 2026 05:33 pm IST