Punch Let a Baby Sleep on Him. Big Mistake.

This morning at Ichikawa City Zoo, Punch did something gentle. He let a baby rest against him while he slept, and the troop made him pay for it. When the mother came near, Punch bared his teeth at her, and almost everyone who watches reads that gesture backwards. It looks like a threat. It is the exact opposite. In Japanese macaques, baring your teeth is a white flag, a signal that runs one way only, from the lower one up to the higher one. Punch was not threatening her. He was surrendering, before she ever touched him. And she pulled his hair anyway. This is the story of why. Why a gesture of peace cost him his morning, why the hair pull was never really about Punch but a lesson for the baby watching, and why a young macaque with no mother is the easiest one in the whole troop to correct. The footage of Punch and the troop comes from the Ichikawa City Zoo and Botanical Garden (市川市動植物園, @ichikawa_zoo). Because in every gesture, there is something we recognize. — Wild Presence explores animal psychology, animal behavior, animal emotions and the human animal bond through emotional, heartwarming animal stories, starting with Punch, the baby Japanese macaque from Ichikawa City Zoo, Japan. For everyone who has ever watched a video about Punch — the baby Japanese macaque from Ichikawa City Zoo, Japan. 市川市動植物園のニホンザル、パンチくんの物語です。今朝、パンチくんは年上のメスに歯を見せました。威嚇のように見えますが、実はその反対で、降参のサインです。それでも母親は、パンチくんの毛を引っぱりました。 なぜ、優しさが罰せられたのか。その毛を引っぱる行為は、見ている赤ちゃんザルへの「教え」でした。母親のいないパンチくんが、群れの中でいちばん立場が弱い理由をお話しします。 📩 [email protected] Wild Presence. In every animal, something human. #PunchMonkey #WildPresence #JapaneseMacaque #がんばれパンチ #IchikawaZoo #Sakura Storytelling: @WildPresence Edit: MrSierra Credits: @ticagg @therapeuticvids