Overview
- Ichikawa City officials said IKEA Japan president Petra Fare visited on Feb. 17 and supplied multiple DJUNGELSKOG orangutan replacements, with the mayor posting an update on the donation.
- Zookeepers report incremental social progress, including Punch approaching peers, receiving grooming and engaging in play, though full acceptance remains a work in progress.
- Zookeeper Shunpei Miyakoshi told TV Asahi that Punch has started venturing away from the toy to interact with other macaques, calling him mentally strong.
- The zoo noted unusually large crowds after videos of Punch clutching the plush went viral, prompting a public statement about longer lines and increased interest.
- Punch was abandoned shortly after his July 2025 birth and hand-raised by staff, whose use of a plush “transitional object” reflects established attachment research, including findings popularized by Harry Harlow.