Did you know we have a troop of Japanese macaques living right here in Iowa? They may not be dragging around stuffed toys in their enclosure, but they’re still ADORABLE!
Blank Park Zoo via Facebook
Blank Park Zoo via FacebookWho is Punch the Monkey?
Punch is a social media sensation! The 7-month-old Japanese macaque is a resident at Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan, and he went viral after the zoo posted photos and video of him clinging to a stuffed orangutan. He was abandoned by his mother, so zookeepers gave him the stuffed animal as a temporary companion. People from all over the world are now flocking to the zoo to get a peek at him!
Where Are Iowa’s Japanese Macaques?
Blank Park Zoo via Facebook
Blank Park Zoo via Facebook
Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines recently posted some information about their troop of Japanese macaques on social media, and one of them is right around the same age as Punch! His name is Taro, and he was born last June to mother Anika. The zoo says that Taro “has a fun personality of his own,” which you can see in some of the adorable photos of him that have been posted by the zoo!
Blank Park Zoo via Facebook
Blank Park Zoo via Facebook
According to the post from Blank Park Zoo, Taro may not be the only young monkey in the zoo’s care in the near future! The zoo actually oversees the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan for Japanese macaques, and they’re hoping that two of their other residents “will soon become successful mothers as well.”
Blank Park Zoo via Facebook
Blank Park Zoo via Facebook
While Taro wasn’t abandoned by his mother, there has been at least one rejection in the past. The post explains that it’s pretty common for first-time mothers to struggle, writing:
“Here at Blank Park Zoo, Miya refused to nurse her first child, Gigi, but has since successfully raised her other two children, Shoyo and now Yumi, without any intervention.
Blank Park Zoo via Facebook
Blank Park Zoo via FacebookWhen Can I See Taro?
Taro is one of the more than 2,500 animals living at Des Moines’ Blank Park Zoo, which is open year-round! Winter is actually a pretty good time to visit Taro, because Japanese macaques are also referred to as “snow monkeys.” They have thick coats and are adapted to colder climates, according to the zoo’s website.
Blank Park Zoo via Facebook
Blank Park Zoo via Facebook
Blank Park Zoo is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and is only closed four days a year (Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, & New Year’s Day). You can purchase tickets online HERE.
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