VIDEO The baby monkey abandoned by its mother that went viral has found solace. New images of 'Punch'
The baby monkey named “Punch” is captured alone on February 20, 2026. Photo: David Mareuil / Anadolu / AFP / Profimedia
The abandoned baby monkey who moved millions on the internet after being filmed in the company of a stuffed toy shaped like an orangutan, appears to have finally found peace with other members of his species.
'Punch', a young Japanese macaque from the Ichikawa Zoo, has gone viral after multiple videos captured him crawling around and playing with a stuffed animal provided by keepers in the absence of his mother who rejected him shortly after birth.
During the first months of life, the cub had difficulty integrating with the other monkeys in the pen and relied only on the company of the caretakers and the stuffed toy.
However, recent images show a change. Another macaque hugged him, and “Punch” was seen toileting other members of the group, a behavior essential to macaque socialization.
After enduring days of rejection, Baby Punch finally experienced the comfort of love. Today, the adult monkey Onsing drew little Punch into a firm, deeply reassuring embrace. pic.twitter.com/SnCdsDZ5kl
— ✮ Rainer Brown (@dondawastaken) February 20, 2026
The director of Trentham Monkey Forest in the UK, Matt Lovatt, explained to the BBC that grooming each other is the main way these primates build social relationships.
“It's encouraging to see him starting to groom other members of the group because that's the main way these primates build relationships and social bonds,” said Lovatt, who oversees the welfare of the Barbary macaques at a sanctuary near Stoke-on-Trent.
“Punch” has taken the internet by storm
Kosuke Shikano, one of the keepers at Ichikawa, told Reuters that baby Japanese macaques typically cling to their mothers to build muscle strength and feel safe, so Punch needed quick intervention.
Keepers tried several substitutes, including rolled towels and other stuffed toys, before settling on the orange orangutan with big, bulbous eyes. Since then, the cub was rarely seen without the toy, which he dragged everywhere, even though it was bigger than him.
Videos of 'Punch' and his plush have attracted a large number of visitors to the zoo after the images were widely shared on social media.
Shikano believes that “Punch's” mother abandoned him due to the extreme heat in July when he gave birth to him.
The story of Punch-kun, known as Punch, the baby monkey, who was rejected by his mother.
Punch, is a seven-month-old baby macaque monkey who inhabits the Ichikawa Zoo in Japan.
Born in July 2025, Punch had to swallow a harsh reality when his birth mother refused and abandoned… pic.twitter.com/DNS2LV5B7F— 👉M-Û-R-Č-H👈 (@TheEXECUTlONER_) February 19, 2026
