A baby monkey in Japan has captured attention around the world after videos emerged of him being harassed by other monkeys and rejected by his own mother. He punch case, A Japanese macaque born at the Ichikawa Zoo was the focus of a curious report in the British newspaper The Guardian. The novelty had a recent twist on the networks when the zookeepers gave him a stuffed orangutan after being abandoned.
According to what was published, without maternal guidance to help him integrate, the little ape has turned to the toy in search of comfort. The first recordings showed him wandering alone with the toy after being pushed by other monkeys, clinging to it tightly as they harassed him. Viewers were briefly relieved when subsequent videos emerged of another monkey grooming and comforting him.
These videos posted on the web have raised questions about why monkeys abandon their young. Alison Behie, An expert in primatology at the Australian National University, said this type of abandonment is unusual, but can occur in certain circumstances, citing age, health and inexperience as possible factors. “In Punch’s case, his mother was a first-time mother, which indicates inexperience,” she said.
Zookeepers also suggest that Punch was born during a heat wave, which would represent a high-stress environment. In those environments where survival is threatened, mothers may prioritize their own health and future reproduction rather than continuing to care for a calf whose health could be compromised by those environmental conditions. After Punch was abandoned, zookeepers introduced the stuffed orangutan after trying alternatives, including rolled towels of varying thicknesses for him to cling to.
Japanese macaque babies immediately cling to their mother’s body after birth to strengthen their muscles. It also gives them security to hold on to something. However, having been abandoned, Punch had nothing to hold on to. The caretaker Kosuke Shikano explained, “We thought the monkey-shaped toy might help Punch integrate back into the troop later,” adding, “The toy Punch has may be serving as an attachment figure, especially considering he’s six months old, so he probably still needs to be breastfed.”
According to Behie, Japanese macaques have strict matrilineal hierarchies, where higher-ranking families exercise dominance over lower-ranking ones. Even with his mother, Punch would likely still face this aggression, he said. However, the specialist said that without his mother “Punch may not develop the appropriate subordinate responses to demonstrate submission to dominance, which could have permanent implications for how he integrates into the group as an adult.”
In recent days, the zoo has seen an increase in visitors hoping to see Punch. In response, authorities have reinforced barriers around the site and urged visitors to remain silent, avoid using ladders or tripods for photography, and limit prolonged visits. Carla Litchfield, a conservation psychologist at the University of Adelaide, highlighted the intelligence of Japanese macaques and, consequently, their popularity as subjects for biomedical and neuroscientific experiments in Japan.
“This story on Punch highlights the impacts of habitat loss, climate change, zoo animal welfare and the power of social media to connect people with animals,” Litchfield said, concluding: “Hopefully the millions of likes and attention on social media will not exacerbate the problem of the illegal trade in baby monkeys for the exotic pet trade.”
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