Punch the Monkey Update: Japan's Viral Baby Macaque Makes Friends — But Controversy Grows
The world's favorite baby monkey is doing better than ever — but the punch monkey Japan story has taken a new twist today as animal rights organizations weigh in, crowds keep breaking records at the Ichikawa City Zoo, and the IKEA plushie at the center of it all remains sold out worldwide.
Latest Punch the Monkey Update: He Is Officially Fitting In
In the freshest punch the monkey update posted today, Ichikawa Zoo confirmed on X that Punch was not being scolded by others and was actively playing with baby monkeys. "He continues to do well," the zoo said. New footage shows Punch staying close to a larger monkey and following it around the enclosure, with the zoo noting "this big monkey has accepted Punch, and Punch has completely grown attached."
In a separate update on Sunday, the zoo said Punch "was meticulously groomed by two monkeys and is steadily fitting into the group." Being groomed by troop members is a significant social milestone for macaques, signaling trust and genuine acceptance within the group.
Record Crowds Descend on Ichikawa Zoo
Over a long holiday weekend in Japan, fans queued for up to an hour to catch a glimpse of punch monkey Japan, with more than 5,000 visitors recorded on Monday alone. The zoo set up a "restricted zone" around part of the monkey enclosure to reduce stress for the animals, and noted that a large number of people have asked how they can donate cash or goods.
The Ichikawa City Zoo was a little-known facility in Chiba Prefecture before February 2026. It is now one of the most talked-about destinations in all of Japan, drawing visitors from across the country and around the world every single day.
PETA and Animal Rights Groups Slam the Zoo
Not everyone watching the punch the monkey saga is cheering. PETA stated: "Zoos are not sanctuaries — they are places where animals are confined, deprived of autonomy, and denied the complex environments and social lives they would have in the wild." The group's Asia director Jason Baker added: "What some are calling 'cute' is actually a glimpse into the trauma of a young, highly social primate coping with isolation and loss."
Animal welfare organization Born Free USA also weighed in, stating that whenever baby wild animals trend online, an uptick in demand for the exotic pet trade almost always follows. The group noted that social media influencers have already offered large sums of money to acquire Punch privately, drawing a direct line between his story and the exploitative private monkey trade.
IKEA Sold Out Globally — And Prices Keep Rising
IKEA's parent company Ingka Group confirmed it is seeing "unprecedented" interest and "significantly" higher sales of the DJUNGELSKOG orangutan plush than usual. The $20 toy is currently out of stock in multiple markets, including Japan and the United States.
Resale listings for the stuffed toy — nicknamed "Oran-Mama" by punch monkey fans — have climbed to hundreds of dollars on secondary markets. IKEA Japan donated 33 of the plushies directly to the zoo earlier this month after the story exploded globally.
How Punch the Monkey Became a Worldwide Sensation
Punch-kun was born on July 26, 2025, at the Ichikawa City Zoo and was abandoned by his mother shortly after birth. Zookeepers hand-raised him and gave him the stuffed orangutan as a surrogate mother. He was integrated into the troop of around 60 monkeys on Monkey Mountain on January 19, 2026, where he initially showed signs of anxiety and isolation.
The zoo posted updates on X throughout February saying Punch was "gradually deepening his interactions" with the troop, getting groomed, "playfully poking at others, getting scolded, and having all sorts of experiences every day, steadily learning how to live as a monkey." The internet has been watching every step — and today, for the first time, the punch the monkey update is genuinely, unmistakably good news.
