Born in July 2025, Punch was rejected by his mother and hand-raised by zookeepers. He formed a strong bond with a plush orangutan toy, dubbed “Ora-mama,” which has provided him comfort and security.
“This stuffed animal has relatively long hair and several easy places to hold,” zookeeper Kosuke Shikano said. “We thought that its resemblance to a monkey might help Punch integrate back into the troop later on, and that’s why we chose it.”
But now his troop has accepted him. Watch this heart-wrenching transition from abandonment to acceptance.
