"Holding Tight to a Doll Instead of Mom"...The Solo Journey of a 6?Month?Old "Outcast Monkey" That Moved Japan to Tears [Sunday Japan Culture]

Abandoned at birth and raised by keepers
Always together with the "attachment toy" he sees as his mother
Japan chokes up watching him struggle to adapt to troop life

Ever since Japan returned its pandas to China and was left with a "panda gap," a new animal has been attracting attention: monkeys. The star is a 6?month?old baby monkey named Punch. Abandoned by his parents, he never had the chance to develop social skills, and because he longs to be held, he always carries a monkey doll in his arms. Lately, all of Japan has been captivated by this online child?rearing story of Punch. Today, we introduce the Punch craze that has moved people across the country.

"There is a baby monkey that carries a doll around. His name is Punch, and he was born on July 26 last year. Please watch his growth with warmth."

Punch hugging a comfort doll. Ichikawa City Zoo X.

The monkey boom began with a single post on the X (formerly Twitter) account of Ichikawa City Zoo in Chiba Prefecture. It was accompanied by a photo of a tiny monkey tightly hugging an orangutan doll that looks about twice as big as his own body. The post became a hot topic, garnering over 70,000 likes and more than 3.1 million views.

Punch is a 6?month?old baby monkey. However, his mother gave up raising him, so he has been bottle?fed by a keeper. It is not clear whether she simply was not ready because it was her first birth, but the mother refused to raise Punch. Normally, in such cases, another mother in the troop sometimes takes over the parenting, but Punch was reportedly excluded from the group altogether.

Normally, from right after birth, baby monkeys cling to their mothers to gain a sense of security and to build muscle strength. Because Punch never had that opportunity, the keepers tried to find substitutes by giving him towels and various animal dolls. Among them, the one he liked most was the orangutan doll. It is believed that he felt secure with it because its fur made it easy to grip and its appearance was similar.

A keeper hinted to the Yomiuri Shimbun that "he seems to think of the doll as his mother." Because of this, people on social media have started calling the doll "Oranmama" (orangutan + mama). Punch takes it everywhere he goes and falls asleep leaning against the doll that is bigger than his own body.

Peonchi alone hugging a comfort doll. Ichikawasi Zoo X.

They could have raised him as a monkey accustomed to being held by humans, but the keepers instead tried to find ways for Punch to adapt to nature as much as possible so that he could grow into a proper monkey even without parents. They did not put him in an incubator, and they raised him where he could smell other monkeys and hear their cries. Then, once they judged he had grown enough, they released Punch on January 19 into the area where the monkey troop lives.

For Punch, who had been handled by humans and had never played with other monkeys, life in a troop was harsh. The group was wary of him, and whenever he tried to approach, he was frequently threatened. Whenever the troop rejected him, all Punch could do was cling to the orangutan doll he regarded as his mother. Not long after he was returned to the group, a visitor to the zoo took photos and videos of Punch and posted them on social media. Once the zoo also shared the story of Punch’s background, his tale began to spread rapidly.

Then something else began to happen on social media. Posts started appearing with the hashtag "Hang in there, Punch" ("Ganbare Punch"). People moved by his situation began posting one after another. The zoo has been sharing how Punch is growing day by day. At first, he was excluded from the troop and only held onto the doll’s hand, but little by little, signs of him adapting began to appear.

As the days go by, the number of monkeys that make contact with him is increasing, and he often gets scolded by other monkeys when he does something wrong. Still, he is learning the rules of troop life and gradually adjusting. Recently, he has been groomed by other monkeys, and by playing pranks and getting told off, he is learning how to live within the group.

Punch has recently grown to about 2 kilograms. He still cannot eat enough food entirely on his own, so the keepers are supplementing his diet. When he is startled or anxious, he sometimes clings to a keeper and refuses to let go, or he just stays by himself hugging the doll. Even so, it is said that the number of such moments is gradually decreasing.

The online child?rearing craze surrounding Punch is also continuing. Many people say things like, "I feel like crying when I see Punch hanging in there to adapt," "Crying every day while reading posts with this hashtag has become part of my routine," and "It purifies my heart." One keeper in particular praised him, saying, "Even when other monkeys scold him, he bounces back quickly. He has a strong mentality."

Because of this, the number of people visiting the zoo to see Punch has reportedly increased sharply. It is not especially difficult to see monkeys in Japan, but there may be another reason why this particular baby monkey has sparked such a craze. Watching Punch bump up against the world as he tries to adapt and overcome his hurts seems to resonate with something in human life as well. For monkeys and for us alike, every moment of life seems to be a continuous training ground. Here’s hoping that Punch, and all of us, can keep going strong.