Punch the monkey ran away with our hearts. Watching him cling to a stuffed orangutan at a Japanese zoo as he struggled to make friends became a collective moment as people around the world grew invested in his emotional well-being.
Now, animal caregivers are saying Punch is in good company as they share stories of orphaned and rescued chimpanzees, penguins, mountain lions and elephants bonding with their own toys.
Newborn mammals find comfort in contact, and rescue animals sometimes seek solace from fuzzy toys in the absence of their families, said Marc Bekoff, professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Some adult animals might also look to toys for safety and companionship, according to Bekoff.
