"When other monkeys shooed the baby away, Punch rushed back to the toy orangutan, hugging it for comfort. But he has been using the toy less and has even started to mix with other macaques at the zoo, where visitors have been flocking to see him get through his ordeal."
"Punch was abandoned by his mother after his birth, presumably because of exhaustion. Zookeepers nursed him and gave him the toy to train him to cling, an ability newborn macaques need to survive. He was then filmed multiple times being dragged and chased by older Japanese macaques inside the enclosure."
"Helping Punch learn the rules of monkey society and being accepted as a member is our most important task, said Kosuke Kano, a 24-year-old zookeeper. Alison Behie, a primatology expert at Australian National University, said such abandonment is unusual but can occur under certain conditions, citing age, health and inexperience as possible factors."
Punch, a seven-month-old macaque at Ichikawa city zoo near Tokyo, was rejected by his mother and other monkeys after birth. Zookeepers provided him with an Ikea djungelskog plushie to help him develop clinging abilities essential for macaque survival. The toy became his comfort object as he was initially pushed away and harassed by older monkeys. Over time, Punch has reduced his reliance on the toy and begun socializing with other macaques, climbing on them, sitting with adults, and receiving grooming and affection. Zookeepers emphasize that helping Punch learn monkey social rules and gain acceptance remains their priority. Primatology experts note that maternal abandonment, while unusual, can occur due to factors like age, health, and inexperience.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]