The tragedy of Punch the monkey: Punch Monkey and why mother animals abandon offspring
Punch, a seven-month-old Japanese macaque known online as punch monkey, has become a viral figure after being rejected by his mother and repeatedly targeted by other macaques inside his enclosure. The footage has prompted fresh questions about why mother animals sometimes abandon their young and left zookeepers trying a series of interventions to help him.
Birth at Ichikawa zoo and the viral clips that followed
Punch was born last July at Ichikawa zoo and drew international attention after videos of him being bullied by other monkeys and rejected by his mother circulated last week. Early clips show him wandering alone with a soft toy after being pushed away by other monkeys, clutching it tightly while being harassed, and being chased and dragged by older Japanese macaques inside the enclosure.
Zookeepers try towels, then a stuffed orangutan to comfort Punch
After Punch was abandoned by his mother, zookeepers first experimented with rolled towels of different thicknesses for him to cling to. When those measures failed to provide what he needed, staff introduced a stuffed orangutan as comfort. The toy was given after the zoo decided he needed something to hold because, as zookeeper Kosuke Shikano put it, "Baby Japanese macaques immediately cling on to their mother's body after birth to build muscle strength. They also get a sense of security through holding on to something. However, because he had been abandoned, Punch had nothing to grip on to. "
Shikano added, "We thought that [the toy] looking like a monkey might help Punch integrate back into the troop later on. " The toy has become the focus of footage showing Punch cuddling it during moments of distress.
Punch Monkey: expert view on why abandonment can happen
Alison Behie, a primatology expert at Australian National University, said abandonment among macaques is unusual but can happen under particular conditions, citing "age, health and inexperience" as possible factors. She noted that in Punch's case his mother was a first-time mother, indicating inexperience.
Behie also said zookeepers suggest Punch was born during a heatwave, which would be a high-stress environment. "In environments where survival is threatened from outside stress, mothers may prioritize their own health and future reproduction rather than continue to care for an infant whose health may be compromised by those environmental conditions, " she said.
Behie suggested the toy may be serving as an attachment figure, saying the toy Punch has "may be serving as an attachment figure, especially given they are six months old so likely still need to be nursed. " She added that the behaviours of the other monkeys toward Punch "isn't bullying or any abnormal behaviour, but regular social interaction. " Behie also described Japanese macaques as having strict matrilineal hierarchies, with higher-ranking families asserting dominance over lower-ranking ones, and said even with his mother Punch would probably still face aggression.
