Article Authors:

  • Sarah E. Turner | Associate Professor, Geography, Planning and Environment, Concordia University
  • Brogan M. Stewart | PhD Candidate in Environmental Science, Concordia University
  • Megan M. Joyce | PhD Student in the Department of Geography, Planning and Environment, Concordia University
  • Mikaela Gerwing | Wildlife Conservation Biologist and PhD Student, Concordia University

Intro:

Little Punch, a seven-month-old Japanese macaque living in the Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan, has captured hearts on the internet. Abandoned by his mother in the first few days of his life and raised by the keepers at the zoo, he has had some trouble integrating into the group of around 60 Japanese macaques.

The keepers gave him a stuffed orangutan, which he carries with him — grooming its plushy fur the way monkeys usually care for one another. Some monkeys in the group were pushing Punch away, dragging him and reacting negatively to him. The internet is demanding to know why. And why would his mother abandon him?

As primate researchers who have spent thousands of hours scientifically observing Japanese monkeys like Punch, we wanted to provide a bit of Japanese monkey-world context.