Punch Monkeys: Abandoned macaque Punch bonds with group after viral stuffed-orangutan videos

punch monkeys have become an online talking point after Punch, a young Japanese macaque at the Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan, went viral for clinging to a stuffed orangutan given by keepers as a substitute for his mother; recent clips show him being hugged by another monkey and grooming peers, a key step toward social integration.

Punch Monkeys at Ichikawa City Zoo

Punch, described by zookeepers as a young Japanese macaque at Ichikawa City Zoo, first captured attention when videos circulated of him dragging and playing with a soft toy that keepers provided. In the early months of his life he struggled to bond with the other monkeys in the enclosure and had only the company of human keepers and the stuffed orangutan to rely on.

Stuffed orangutan became a stand-in for a mother

Zookeepers gave Punch the soft orangutan as a substitute for his mother, and the footage of him clutching the toy broke into millions of online views. Those initial scenes of Punch with the stuffed orangutan contrasted with later footage showing change: one monkey gave him a hug, and he was seen grooming others, a behaviour that macaques use to build relationships.

Expert: grooming is how friendships form

Matt Lovatt, director for the UK's Trentham Monkey Forest, spoke to Breakfast about Punch's behaviour. "It's been great to see him starting to groom, because that's the key way these primates can start to build up friendships with the monkeys within their group, " said Lovatt, who oversees the well-being of the Barbary macaques at a wildlife sanctuary near Stoke-on-Trent.

Regional headlines and related developments

Other items from the region include a suspect wanted for multiple counts of theft who was caught outside a temple on the outskirts of Bangkok, and a Lakshmi goddess shrine at a Bangkok shopping mall that has become a place where young people come to pray for love. Correspondent Jonathan Head called a devastating accident an enormous setback for Thailand's efforts to modernise its infrastructure, and he also reports that voters in Myanmar say the election is taking place in a "climate of fear. "

South Asia correspondent Azadeh Moshiri visited Sheikh Hasina's former residence, now a memorial for the student protesters killed in the 2024 uprising, and it is the first election since the 2024 Gen Z uprising that toppled Bangladesh's long-serving prime minister Sheikh Hasina. The 's Arunoday Mukharji explains why India needs to capitalise on the momentum.

In Hong Kong, a pro-democracy media tycoon was sentenced to 20 years in jail by the Hong Kong High Court, and Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai has been found guilty of foreign collusion following a landmark national security trial. In separate violence, police say at least 31 people have been killed after a suicide bomber detonated a device at a Shia mosque, and a mayor in the Philippines survived a rocket launcher attack on his vehicle in broad daylight. Thousands of adoring supporters had paid up to 12, 000 rupees to catch a glimpse of the football star.

What comes next

A court is due to deliver its verdict in the insurrection trial of Yoon Suk Yeol.