ICHKAWA, JAPAN — A baby macaque named Punch, shunned by his mother and troop at Ichikawa City Zoo, has captured global hearts by clutching an orangutan plushie as a surrogate mom, with videos of his desperate cuddles exploding online.
The saga mirrors 1950s experiments by US psychologist Harry Harlow on rhesus monkeys separated from birth, raised with two surrogate “mothers”: a wire one dispensing food and a soft terrycloth doll offering comfort but no nourishment. Defying behaviorist theory that attachments stem from feeding, the infants spent far more time on the cuddly surrogate, proving emotional warmth trumps physical sustenance in bonding.
Harlow’s findings birthed attachment theory, stressing “secure” caregiver bonds via attentiveness for healthy development; neglect breeds insecurity. Punch’s IKEA toy fixation replicates this naturally, eschewing harsh options for softness, highlighting primates’ innate need for affection over mere survival.
Though Harlow’s isolating methods now seem unethical by modern primate rights standards, Punch underscores a timeless truth: love and safe havens outweigh food alone for well-being across species.