A Japanese macaque at a zoo here that captured global attention for carrying a stuffed animal is growing up, carrying the toy less often and spending more time playing with other members of his troop.
Punch, a male baby monkey born in July 2025 at Ichikawa City Zoo in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, was clinging to an orangutan plushy in place of his mother, who abandoned him. He was raised by the zookeepers by hand. Since then, a new baby macaque has been born into the troop, making Punch a "big brother."
Punch was fully returned to his troop in January this year, but he struggled to fit in after being threatened by other monkeys and could not let go of the stuffed toy. About three months on, he is rarely seen holding it on the monkey mountain.
by SkyInJapan