The 'Punch effect' has transformed the Ichikawa City Zoo and Botanical Garden into one of Japan's most prominent attractions of 2026. As of 25 February 2026, the seven-month-old Japanese macaque, who gained global attention for his attachment to a stuffed IKEA orangutan, is no longer the isolated figure that first captured public sympathy. While his 'Oran-Mama' plush toy remains a fixture of his environment, recent developments within the 'Monkey Mountain' enclosure suggest the infant is beginning to form social bonds with his peers.
