The Japanese macaque gained international fame when he roamed around with a stuffed monkey after his mother abandoned him.Image: IMAGO
March 24, 2026, 09:44Mar 24, 2026, 10:04
The baby monkey Punch in Japan, who has become an internet star, appears to be developing splendidly. Punch has become a bit of a bully and moves around a lot, the Ichikawa City Zoo near Japan’s capital Tokyo told the huge fan community on X.
Video: external/X/@ichikawa_zoo
Punch recently became famous for photos from the zoo that showed him being rejected by his mother after birth and finding solace in a toy orangutan.
The zoo said he has recently been following an older animal in the small monkey enclosure, which he cuddles up to. When asked, a spokesman for the zoo did not want to confirm whether this was Punch’s “new girlfriend”, as can be read on social media. Nothing will be published about gender, nor will the monkeys with which Punch operates be named. But no matter whether it is a female or a male: both get along well, writes the zoo.
Punch eats like a barn thrasher
Lately, Punch has been looking more often in the same direction as the other animal, following him and snuggling up. “There are more and more scenes that make you smile involuntarily,” said X, along with the happy message to all Punch fans that he had once again eaten like crazy. Millions will still remember the early heartbreaking footage as little Punch was pushed away by the other macaques before running behind a rock and clinging to his stuffed animal.
Since then, millions of people all over the world, moved to tears, have shared in the fate of the little Japanese macaque, which was born in July last year. In countless memes, he has become a symbol of the crises of our time, of loneliness, but also of resilience. (nil/sda/dpa)