Overview
- Ichikawa City Zoo reports the seven-month-old, hand-raised after maternal rejection, is gradually integrating with other macaques.
- Daily attendance has climbed to roughly 2,000 to 3,000 visitors, about ten times the usual winter number, according to a zoo official.
- During a recent AFP visit, Punch alternated between solitary play, brief approaches to peers, and occasional returns to his plush for comfort.
- Zoo staff characterize the rough interactions seen online as normal disciplinary behavior within macaque social hierarchies rather than abuse.
- Social-media videos claim he is bonding with a juvenile called Moe, a detail not confirmed by the zoo.