At first, the tiny monkey would not let go of the plush toy.
Now, he’s starting to let go just enough to grow up.
Punch, a baby macaque at the Ichikawa City Zoo near Tokyo, captured hearts after visitors noticed him dragging around an oversized orangutan plushie for comfort.
The toy became his constant companion after a difficult start to life.
Punch was abandoned by his mother shortly after birth, likely because she was exhausted. Without a parent to cling to, zookeepers stepped in to care for him and introduced the plush toy to help him learn one of the most important skills for newborn macaques: holding tightly to something for safety.
Photos of the tiny monkey hugging the much larger stuffed orangutan quickly spread online. In many of them, Punch could be seen running back to the toy whenever other monkeys pushed him away.
But recently, something changed.
Zookeepers say Punch is beginning to spend less time with the plush toy and more time with the other monkeys in the enclosure.
On a recent day, he was spotted climbing onto another monkey’s back, sitting alongside adults and even getting groomed and hugged by members of the troop.
For visitors who had been following his story, the change has been a relief.
“It was good to see him grow, and I’m reassured,” said Sanae Izumi, a fan who traveled from Osaka to see him. “He is adorable!”
The young macaque’s popularity has brought a surge of attention to the zoo. After images of Punch and his plush companion spread online, crowds began arriving to see him.
Zoo staff eventually introduced quiet rules and limited viewing time to about 10 minutes so the more than 50 monkeys living there would not feel stressed.
For keepers, Punch slowly leaving the toy behind is exactly what they hoped would happen.
“Helping Punch learn the rules of monkey society and being accepted as a member is our most important task,” said zookeeper Kosuke Kano.
Zoo director Shigekazu Mizushina says the plush toy served its purpose. It gave the orphaned monkey something to cling to during a critical stage of development.
“When he grows out of the plush toy that encourages his independence, and that’s what we are hoping for,” Mizushina said.
Punch has not completely let go of the toy yet.
He still curls up with the stuffed orangutan each night when it is time to sleep.
But if things keep going well, zookeepers say the next big milestone will be seeing him sleep in a tight huddle with the other monkeys.
For now, the tiny macaque who once clung to a toy for comfort is slowly finding something even better: a place in the troop.
