Punch and Ora-mama: Japanese zoo’s abandoned baby monkey finds comfort in plushie ‘mom’

by

Ichikawa: An abandoned baby monkey has melted hearts worldwide after being seen clinging to a stuffed orangutan toy. Punch, a young Japanese macaque born on July 26, 2025, at the Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan, was rejected by his first-time mother shortly after birth.

Weighing just 500 grams, the fragile newborn needed round-the-clock care. Zookeepers Kosuke Shikano and Shumpei Miyakoshi stepped in to hand-raise him, ensuring he remained exposed to the sounds and scents of other monkeys to prepare him for eventual reintegration into the troop.

Punch the monkey and Ora-mama

In the wild, infant macaques cling constantly to their mother’s fur for warmth, safety and emotional security. Without that bond, young monkeys can struggle with stress and social development. To provide comfort, caretakers introduced substitutes, including towels and soft toys. Punch quickly grew attached to a small orangutan plush toy, nicknamed “Ora-mama”, whose textured fur was easy to grip and whose primate-like appearance offered reassurance.

“The stuffed animal was a surrogate mother,” Shikano said.

Punch monkey

Videos of Punch dragging the toy around and cuddling it while sleeping soon went viral. The clips sparked an outpouring of emotion online and inspired the hashtag #HangInTherePunch, as people around the world rooted for the tiny macaque.

Zoo officials say Punch has finally begun integrating with the other monkeys. Although his early attempts were overwhelming and he was occasionally scolded while learning the troop’s social rules, recent progress has been encouraging.

Caretakers observed another monkey grooming him, which is a significant milestone in primate society, as grooming signals trust, bonding and acceptance.

Punch monkey Japan

Footage also shows Punch playing with other young macaques, climbing onto their backs and exploring confidently. In one particularly touching moment, an older monkey was seen gently embracing him, a quiet but powerful sign that he is no longer alone.

“He’s actively engaging with other monkeys, and I can feel he’s growing up,” caretaker Miyakoshi said. “Even when scolded by other monkeys, he quickly recovers. He’s mentally strong.”

Punch being dragged by adult monkey

In one video, Punch is seen running to Ora-mama after being scolded and dragged by an adult monkey. The zoo said that the video appeared to have been recorded on Thursday during feeding time.

“When Punch approached another baby monkey from the troop in attempt to communicate, the baby monkey avoided him. Punch then sat down, apparently giving up on communicating with the monkey, after which he was scolded and dragged by an adult monkey,” the zoo said in a statement, adding that the adult was likely the baby’s mother who may have felt her child was being disturbed.

The zoo clarified that Punch “has been scolded many times in the past and has learned how to socialize,” stressing that no monkey has shown serious aggression toward him.

“In the video, Punch runs to his stuffed orangutan toy after being dragged. However, as usual, he left the stuffed toy after a short while and was communicating with other monkeys,” the statement read.

While such challenges were expected during his integration, the zoo urged supporters to “support Punch’s effort rather than feel sorry for him.”