A baby macaque has adopted a stuffed animal after being rejected by his mother.
Videos of the six-month-old, named Punch, carrying his companion around his enclosure at Japan’s Ichikawa City Zoo have received millions of views on social media.
In one clip, Punch appears to suck his thumb while sitting on top of the stuffed animal. He then leans down and snuggles into the toy’s head.
A baby macaque named Punch began cuddling a stuffed animal after being abandoned by his mother
Image credits: alice_rum
He has also been seen sleeping with the plush toy, which is bigger than him, and wrapping his arms around it.
The baby primate was born in July 2025. His keepers, Kosuke Shikano and Shumpei Miyakoshi, have raised and looked after him since he was abandoned by his mother shortly after birth.
In another video, the baby can be seen climbing up his zookeeper’s arm as the staff member lays out food for the other primates.
“Since Punch was [born] healthy, we temporarily separated him from the troop and began hand-feeding him with milk,” Shikano said.
Infant monkeys instinctively cling to their mothers from birth, both for comfort and to build muscle, so zookeepers gave the baby towels and soft toys as substitutes. Of all the options, Punch chose the orangutan stuffed toy.
“The stuffed animal’s fur made it easy to grab, and its appearance is also similar to a monkey, which likely provided a sense of security,” Shikano added.
“The stuffed animal was a surrogate mother.”
The baby primate sleeps with his toy orangutan and carries it around his enclosure
Image credits: meguxiang
The zookeeper explained that parental abandonment by monkeys can occur under certain circumstances.
“The burden of her [Punch’s mother] first birth may have been a factor,” Shikano suggested.
“In the monkey mountain troop, other mother monkeys sometimes take on childcare, so we observed from a distance on the day of birth, but there were no such signs.”
人口哺育で育ったパンチの3、4か月前の様子。群れに馴染もうとする姿が話題で全国区レベルの人気者に🐵#市川市動植物園#がんばれパンチ pic.twitter.com/aE3avPY3id
— ポコ (@ciao_0w0) February 9, 2026
Female macaques carry their babies on their bellies for the first four weeks after birth. After this time, the mother transports the infant on her back, Texas Tech University explains. A mother and her infant tend to avoid other troop members.
Punch was introduced to a small group of macaques at the zoo in January and has slowly begun integrating with the other primates, his caretakers shared.
Still, he has reportedly never left his plush companion behind.
Punch was rejected by his mother shortly after birth and was raised by zookeepers
Image credits: ikusan0103
“He’s actively engaging with other monkeys, and I can feel he’s growing up,” explained Miyakoshi.
“Even when scolded by other monkeys, he quickly recovers. He’s mentally strong,” Shikano noted.
The Ichikawa City Zoo, located east of Tokyo, introduced the monkey to the world on X, writing, “Currently, there is a young monkey carrying a stuffed toy in the monkey mountain enclosure.”
His story quickly spread online, increasing the number of visitors to the Japanese zoo
Image credits: ichikawa_zoo
The image of Punch clutching the orangutan stuffed animal as a surrogate mother resonated with many netizens, leading to the creation of a Japanese hashtag translated as “#HangInTherePunch,” local media reported.
“Poor baby, I will cuddle you!” one person wrote.
“Baby monkey just misses his mother. Nature is always cruel,” shared another.
“Poor little soul… glad he found something to comfort him,” a third commented.
日を増すごとに触れ合う個体も増えてきました。
また怒られることもありますが、ひとつひとつ群れとしてのルールを学びながら、パンチも馴染んできています。
パンチ含めサル山の仲間たちも暖かかく見守りください#市川市動植物園 #ニホンザル #がんばれパンチ pic.twitter.com/H20ZgMb7fo— 市川市動植物園（公式） (@ichikawa_zoo) February 12, 2026
According to The Mainichi, Punch was born on July 26, 2025, weighing 500 grams (about 17.6 ounces). His mother, exhausted from her first birth in the heat of summer, showed no signs of caring for him.
Takashi Yasunaga, head of the Ichikawa Municipal Government’s zoo, reported that visitor numbers at the zoo have increased since Punch’s story went viral, similar to what happened to Moo Deng, the famous baby pygmy hippo in Thailand.
In January, zookeepers introduced Punch to a small group of macaques, who have begun to welcome the new member
Image credits: mihamiha_trend
“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone who visited us today,” the zoo stated on Sunday (February 15.)
“All of our staff were surprised by the unexpected turnout, something we have never experienced before.”
“It is cute to see the little monkey dragging the stuffed animal around, but it is very sad at the same time,” one visitor said
More information about Punch, the baby monkey at Ichikawa Zoo in Japan.
He was abandoned by his mother shortly after birth and has been hand‑raised by zookeepers.
They gave him a plush orangutan toy, which he carries everywhere, hugging it while he sleeps, using it for… pic.twitter.com/qn1fO7Wu1n
— Volcaholic 🌋 (@volcaholic1) February 14, 2026
One visitor wrote, “We visited the zoo today! There wasn’t much of a line when we entered, but there was a huge line when we left. People were there to see Punch!”
“It is cute to see the little monkey dragging the stuffed animal around but it is very sad at the same time,” typed another visitor.
Punch is “gradually deepening his interactions” with the other primates, the zoo announced
Image credits: mihamiha_trend
泣いてます pic.twitter.com/xBTLr3FDOR
— 花 (@Euphorbia10182) February 4, 2026
In an update, the Japanese zoo said Punch is “gradually deepening his interactions with the other monkeys in his group.”
“He has a variety of experiences every day, such as being groomed, messing around with them, and being scolded, and he is learning every day how to live in a group as a monkey!”
“I’m so invested in this monkey,” someone wrote on X
Image credits: ZMAL06
