Overview
- Ichikawa City Zoo says Punch now seeks out other macaques and plays with them, a clear shift from relying on his stuffed orangutan.
- Staff and news reports identify a frequent companion called Moe, though the zoo has not confirmed them as a pair.
- The zoo tightened viewing rules at Monkey Mountain to limit front‑row time to about ten minutes and to discourage livestreaming to reduce stress on the troop.
- After online concern over rough encounters, the zoo said there is no evidence of attacks that would threaten his survival and described the behavior as normal discipline for macaques.
- Punch was abandoned at birth, hand‑raised by keepers, and reintroduced to the troop, with the toy used as a comfort device during his early socialization.