Global attention surrounding a young Japanese macaque known as Punch has also highlighted two animal handlers at Ichikawa City Zoo. As videos of the infant macaque circulated widely on social media, viewers began identifying zookeepers Kosuke Shikano and Shumpei Miyakoshi as the primary caretakers responsible for the animal's early survival.
The two staff members, often referred to online as the 'Punch Papas', work as animal keepers responsible for daily husbandry duties at the facility in Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo. They were assigned to care for the macaque after it was abandoned by its mother shortly after birth. The facility confirmed that Punch was born in July 2025 but was rejected by the first-time mother immediately following delivery.
