When “Go Away” Doesn’t Mean “I Don’t Like You” Punch, Social Cues & Finding His Place in the Troop

Punch has come an incredibly long way.

He is no longer simply the little orphan trying to find somewhere to belong. Punch has, for the most part, been accepted into the troop. Many of the mothers now trust him around their babies, and he has formed friendships with macaques who groom him, play with him and willingly spend time beside him.

But acceptance doesn't mean Punch never gets scolded.

Some days, Punch can be sitting quietly beside another macaque and suddenly receive a warning to move away. To us, it can look harsh — especially when that same macaque may groom Punch, play with him or happily tolerate his presence on another occasion.

And that's exactly where Punch is still learning.

“But Why Did You Scold Me?”

You can almost see the confusion on Punch's face.

One moment, everything seems fine. The next, his friend has told him, in unmistakable macaque language, that they want space.

Punch sometimes looks as though he is thinking:

“Why did you do that? I was only sitting here.”

For an orphaned youngster who didn't have a mother to teach him all those subtle social rules from the beginning, these moments are part of a very steep learning curve.

Macaque communication isn't always obvious. A glance, posture, movement, facial expression or tiny change in distance can communicate something very important.

Punch is learning to read all of it.

Sometimes It's Simply About Space

As I discussed in my previous article, not every interaction is about hierarchy.

Sometimes a macaque simply doesn't want another macaque sitting beside them.

That doesn't necessarily mean they dislike Punch. It doesn't mean their relationship has changed. And it doesn't mean Punch has suddenly become an outsider.

Sometimes the message is simply:

“Not right now. I need my space.”

Interestingly, I've noticed that Punch can be scolded more often when he is tired and looking for somewhere comfortable to rest.

And this makes perfect sense when you understand Punch's history.

He is still looking for security.

He wants to find another macaque to sit beside, lean against or perhaps rest his head on. For Punch, physical closeness can provide comfort and reassurance.

But the macaque he chooses may not always want a little body leaning against them.

That's another lesson Punch has to learn.

Punch Doesn't Always Give Up

One of the things I find particularly fascinating is what Punch does afterwards.

He often goes back.

Not aggressively. Not looking for trouble.

He simply returns to the macaque who scolded him, sits down and waits.

It's almost as though Punch is saying:

“Okay… I'll give you some space. But I'm still your friend.”

Sometimes the other macaque looks at him, and eventually seems to give up protesting.

Punch stays.

That, to me, shows just how much he has developed socially.

The tiny orphan who once needed humans to provide almost everything is now learning to negotiate relationships within a complicated macaque society.

Every Correction Is a Lesson

It is never easy to watch Punch being scolded — especially when all he appears to want is comfort.

Seeing him search for someone to lean against because he's tired, only to be told to move, can tug at the heartstrings.

But these interactions are important.

Punch cannot learn troop life without experiencing both acceptance and rejection.

He needs to learn when another macaque wants to play, when they want to groom, when they want him nearby — and when they simply want him to move away.

And importantly, Punch is learning that being scolded doesn't necessarily mean the relationship is over.

He gets up.

He recovers.

He tries again.

And sometimes, he returns to the very same macaque who just told him “no.”

That resilience is one of the things that makes Punch so special.

An Orphan Learning a Complicated Language

For a youngster who didn't have the benefit of growing up beside his mother and learning these social rules naturally from infancy, Punch has come remarkably far.

He is learning the language of macaques one interaction at a time.

A warning.

A glance.

A scold.

A grooming session.

A game.

A moment of shared space.

Each one teaches him something.

Troop life isn't simply about discovering who is dominant and who is subordinate. It is also about friendships, boundaries, trust, tolerance, communication and knowing when another individual needs space.

Punch is learning all of that now.

And perhaps the most encouraging part is that, despite the occasional correction, he keeps going back to his troop.

He keeps trying.

He keeps learning.

And little by little, Punch is finding his place.

For an orphan macaque, that journey was never going to be easy.

But Punch has already travelled an extraordinary distance.

Author

Written by SarahPunch26 — an independent creator following Punch-kun’s journey from his early days of hand-rearing to life within the Japanese macaque troop at Ichikawa City Zoological and Botanical Garden.

This article is based on publicly available information, zoo updates and observations of Punch-kun’s ongoing development. It is an independent feature and is not affiliated with or published by Ichikawa City Zoological and Botanical Garden.

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