Baby Monkey Punch warms up to other macaques after clutching stuffed orangutan
Punch, the abandoned young Japanese macaque widely dubbed baby monkey punch, went viral after being seen hugging a stuffed orangutan that keepers gave him as a substitute for his mother. The footage that broke millions of hearts online now shows him beginning to bond with other monkeys at Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan.
Punch’s early struggles at Ichikawa City Zoo
Punch is a young Japanese macaque housed at the Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan. During the first few months of his life he struggled to bond with the other monkeys in his zoo's enclosure, and he was rejected by his mother. Zookeepers gave him a soft orangutan toy to act as a substitute caregiver during that period.
How the stuffed orangutan established an online following
Videos showed Punch dragging around and playing with the soft toy, and those clips went viral, breaking millions of hearts online. The footage that circulated showed him clutching the stuffed orangutan and relying on the toy and his human keepers for company while he was isolated from the troop.
Signs of social recovery: hug and grooming caught on camera
Recent videos indicate Punch is turning things around. He was given a hug by one monkey and was seen grooming others, actions that mark a shift from solitary dependence on the toy and human keepers. Grooming is identified in the footage as a key part of macaque socialisation and one of the first steps toward building relationships within the group.
Expert comment from Matt Lovatt and his role
Matt Lovatt, director for the UK's Trentham Monkey Forest, spoke to Breakfast about Punch's behaviour. Lovatt, who oversees the well-being of the Barbary macaques at a wildlife sanctuary near Stoke-on-Trent, said it's been great to see Punch starting to groom because that's the key way these primates can start to build up friendships with the monkeys within their group.
Where the footage appeared and related video items
The clip of the viral monkey Punch rejected by mother given stuffed orangutan was presented as a video with a running time of 00: 01: 22. Other video items shown alongside it included: Watch: Thai police go undercover as lion dancers to catch thief (00: 00: 46); Lunar New Year 2026: Celebrations around the world (00: 01: 29); Inside press briefing as Trump criticises Supreme Court tariffs ruling (00: 00: 56); Giant tortoises return to Galápagos island after nearly 200 years (00: 00: 31); What happens next for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor? (00: 01: 00); The day Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested (00: 01: 14); Why haven't more Americans faced charges in the Epstein case? (00: 01: 03); Skier tells of 'panic' as avalanche hit Italian slopes (00: 01: 23); Flying oranges: Italian town celebrates carnival with historic street battle (00: 00: 30); Giant robot tribute to Brazil's President Lula comes last in carnival competition (00: 01: 12); and 'I am a survivor' Gisèle Pelicot tells Newsnight (00: 01: 57). The page carrying the video also displayed a copyright notice showing 2026 and the outlet name.
What Punch’s progress means for his care
For now, Punch’s interactions — the hug from another monkey and the grooming behaviour caught on camera — suggest he is moving away from sole reliance on his human keepers and the stuffed orangutan. Zookeepers had provided the soft toy as a substitute for his mother during the weeks he struggled to bond with the troop, and recent footage shows those early interventions coinciding with gradual social integration.
The story of baby monkey punch has drawn widespread attention because the images of an infant macaque clinging to a stuffed orangutan evoked strong public response, and the newer clips documenting his grooming and embrace hint that he may be finding comfort among his own kind at Ichikawa City Zoo.
