{"id":428940,"date":"2026-04-10T08:14:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T08:14:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/428940\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T08:14:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T08:14:23","slug":"abandoned-baby-macaque-finds-love-and-support-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/428940\/","title":{"rendered":"Abandoned Baby Macaque Finds Love and Support Online"},"content":{"rendered":"

Punch the Monkey<\/a><\/strong> brought the Internet to tears.<\/p>\n

The baby macaque at the Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan was abandoned by his mother and bullied by his fellow snow monkeys, leading him to cling to a plush orangutan<\/a> for companionship.<\/p>\n

Punch (also called Punch-kun) was named after the late mangaka (manga<\/a> artist and illustrator) Kazuhiko Kat\u014d, known by the pen name Monkey Punch.<\/p>\n

After being rejected by his mom, Punch had to be bottle- and hand-fed by zoo caretakers.<\/p>\n

The cute critter went viral on social media (often with the hashtag #HangInTherePunch), leading traffic at the Ichikawa Zoo to surge with visitors coming to see and hopefully cheer Punch up.<\/p>\n

Punch even earned the attention of Oscar winner<\/a>Christian Bale<\/a><\/strong>, who compared his Frankenstein<\/a> monster character from The Bride! to the lonely little guy.<\/p>\n

Explaining that loneliness is universally experienced by many, Bale said his character, Frank, tried to remove himself from society but eventually gave up and needed a companion badly. “He needs to have a companion, even if it’s someone who just sits on the log next to him and never speaks,” Bale told BuzzFeed U.K<\/a>. “Like a He just needs someone. Like a poor little monkey in a lab who’s kept by himself. Like little Punch! Little Punch with the orangutan, Little Punch, you can do it! That’s all he needs. He just needs a little orangutan.”<\/p>\n

Don’t we all, though?<\/p>\n

Here’s what is going on with Punch the monkey, Punch the Monkey updates and everything else to know about his situation (including where you can snag a cute orangutan plushie for yourself).<\/p>\n

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\"Punch<\/p>\n

Punch the monkeyPhoto by STR on Getty Images<\/p>\n

What is the Punch monkey?<\/p>\n

Punch is a young macaque at the Ichikawa City Zoo outside of Tokyo who went viral for carrying a plush orangutan toy after being rejected by his mother and fellow snow monkeys.<\/p>\n

Punch’s mom abandoned him after he was born, leading zoo staff to have to bottle-feed him as a newborn and hand-feed him as he began to grow. What’s more, some social media footage from Punch’s enclosure showed another macaque pushing him, which shattered pretty much every beating heart on the planet<\/a> that watched it happen. However, he’s doing better now!<\/p>\n

What is going on with Punch the monkey?<\/p>\n

Here are your latest Punch updates:<\/p>\n

Lindsey Vonn loves Punch the Monkey!<\/p>\n

Someone sent Lindsey Vonn<\/a><\/strong> a plush orangutan like the one Punch has as a get-well gift when she was hospitalized in February 2028.<\/p>\n

“Some of my friends don’t know what Punch is, but, I mean, everyone has to know what Punch is,” Vonn told USA TODAY Sports<\/a> on April 7, 2026. “Punch is the cutest.”<\/p>\n

She added that Punch finding a girlfriend<\/a> (see below) gave her more confidence<\/a> that she can heal up successfully.<\/p>\n

“Always a bright spot,” she said. “If Punch can [find love], I can do it!”<\/p>\n

Punch the Monkey has a girlfriend!<\/p>\n

On March 17, 2026, it was reported that Punch actually found a girlfriend, and our hearts are exploding. Check them out together below\u2014her name is Momo-Chan, and she’s a similar to his beloved plushie:<\/p>\n

The Ichigawa Zoo said in a statement that Momo-chan and Punch have “grown close.” It is probably the greatest love story of all time.<\/p>\n

We’re not crying, you’re crying.<\/p>\n

Punch the Monkey’s popularity leads to new Ichigawa Zoo regulations.<\/p>\n

On March 12, the Ichigawa Zoo announced<\/a> that largely due to Punch’s popularity, they’ve suspended sales of annual passes for the foreseeable future to prevent overcrowding.<\/p>\n

The Ichigawa Zoo also released a guide for donations, noting that they don’t actually endorse any products related to Punch and that the only place for legitimate donations that will be used for his care, as well as for the other critters and botanical life at the zoo, is here<\/a>\u2014so make sure you don’t fall for any scams!<\/p>\n

Punch the Monkey is getting along better with his macaque mates.<\/p>\n

On March 10, the Ichigawa Zoo said in a statement<\/a> that Punch spends most of every day “peacefully,” and that the alleged “bullying” that some visitors witness is merely normal macaque “discipline” that’s typical of the species. The zoo’s statement also noted that more and more snow monkeys are playing and interacting with Punch overall, indicating that he’s going to be just fine!<\/p>\n

Punch the Monkey learned a new trick.<\/p>\n

It was also revealed on March 3 that he learned a new trick: How to wave.<\/p>\n

Related: Stephen Colbert Reacts to Viral Baby Monkey Punch \u2014 and Brings the Same Stuffed Toy<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Is Punch the monkey OK now?<\/p>\n

Thankfully, the answer seems to be yes!<\/p>\n

According to one spectator from Business Insider<\/a>, Punch is so popular that his visits from the public are limited to 10 minutes per group to allow everyone to get the opportunity to catch a glimpse at the zoo’s Monkey Mountain display, where he lives.<\/p>\n

In early March, one of those visitors was K-pop superstar Lisa<\/a><\/strong> of BLACKPINK<\/a><\/strong>, who documented her venture to Monkey Mountain in her Instagram Stories.<\/p>\n

\"Lisa<\/p>\n

Lisa of BLACKPINK visiting Punch the Monkey at the Ichigawa City ZooInstagram<\/p>\n

That said, not all of his fellow macaques are on the bandwagon of adoring him. At least one is still pushing him around a bit (or was on March 5, 2026, at least), but thankfully a zookeeper was able to whisk poor Punch away from the bully.<\/p>\n

While that may be a bummer, he’s also made some friends, even riding on one new pal’s back recently<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Will Punch the monkey be okay?<\/p>\n

Most likely he’ll be fine!<\/p>\n

“There have been studies where they have put babies with other juveniles to be raised in juvenile social groups. The truth is, in those situations, they’re not as normal as we’d like,” According to visiting assistant professor of psychology at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts Lauren Robinson, told NPR’s Short Wave<\/a>. “It’s certainly not as ideal as having a mother, because Mom protects the baby. She provides a lot of social relationship education<\/a>, teaching baby how to communicate rank as well as apologies. It’s not an ideal situation. As far as how it’s impacting Punch, I think we’ll have to wait and see, but I think the zoo is doing the best they can. I don’t know if there’s a good alternative.”<\/p>\n

Robinson did note that it would be tricky to predict where exactly Punch will land in the snow monkey hierarchy overall, but there’s a lot of of hope for him!<\/p>\n

“If he learns quickly and he learns the ritualized aggression and how to apologize and get out of the way, I think he’ll do all right,” she said. “And it seems like he is getting relationships with other monkeys, so that’s where you learn that information. But if he doesn’t learn and he misreads information, that’s a tougher life. That’s probably like getting that education as you go in a more strict way when it comes to snow monkeys. The dominant male will definitely let him know his place.”<\/p>\n

Robinson added that because Punch is beginning to develop grooming relationships with other monkeys, which is a “really great sign,” as is that he hasn’t been hit with any “really high-intensity aggression.”<\/p>\n

“Those are all good signs that he’s being brought into the group,” she said. “But he’s got quite a few years till he reaches adulthood anyway. He’s just a juvenile. He’s just a baby right now.”<\/p>\n

\"Punch<\/p>\n

Punch the monkey interacts with other macaques in the Monkey Mountain enclosure at the Ichikawa City Zoo.Photo by Anadolu on Getty Images<\/p>\n

Why does Punch the monkey get bullied?<\/p>\n

“Having worked with snow monkeys, they’re a**holes. Snow monkeys, they have what’s called a strict hierarchy, so there is always someone at the top, but someone always ends up at the bottom of the hierarchy,” Robinson explained to NPR. “If we get mad at snow monkeys for being aggressive to each other, we might as well be mad at the rain for being wet. It’s just who they are as a species.”<\/p>\n

Why was Punch the monkey abandoned?<\/p>\n

It’s not entirely known, but also isn’t uncommon, according to Robinson.<\/p>\n

“It’s a tough situation. It does happen, where infants get left by the mother for whatever reason,” Robinson told NPR. “We certainly hear about it in other facilities. Research facilities will try to give the baby to a surrogate, which does happen and works sometimes. It’s not uncommon, to the extent that we have methods that we can try if there’s an appropriate female to take on the infant who’s actually interested in doing so. But that doesn’t always happen.”<\/p>\n

Thankfully, footage appears to show that Punch’s mother is finally warming up to him.<\/p>\n

\"Punch<\/p>\n

Punch the monkey and his motherPhoto by Anadolu on Getty Images<\/p>\n

Why is Punch monkey rejected?<\/p>\n

It isn’t entirely known by Punch specifically was rejected.<\/p>\n

Robinson said, “Without anyone to support him, I don’t think there’s really any question about what would happen. In the wild, I don’t think he’d make it. And that’s important to remember as well, that nature is not necessarily kind. Nature is just what it does. There’s no need to judge it as, like, a negative or anything. It’s just how nature works.”<\/p>\n

Is Punch the monkey a boy or girl?<\/p>\n

Punch is an adorable widdle baby boy.<\/p>\n

Is Punch the monkey still alive?<\/p>\n

Yes, he is!<\/p>\n

Where can I get a Punch the monkey stuffed animal?<\/p>\n

While there isn’t any official Punch the snow monkey merch available (yet), IKEA carries the Djungelskog orangutan plushie he adores. You can check here for availability near you<\/a>, but be ready to have to wait a while, because this plushie is more popular than ever.<\/p>\n

\"IKEA<\/p>\n

IKEA “Djungelskog” plush orangutans, the same type that Punch the Monkey cuddles with at the Ichikawa ZooPhoto by NurPhoto on Getty Images<\/p>\n

Related: Viral Punch the Monkey\u2019s Stuffed Orangutan Selling for Hundreds After IKEA Sells Out<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Is Punch the monkey AI?<\/p>\n

Nope, there’s no soulless, planet-killing tech behind Punch the Monkey. He is all real, which is likely why his predicament resonates with so many.<\/p>\n

Where is Punch the monkey located?<\/p>\n

Punch the monkey lives in the Monkey Mountain enclosure of the Ichikawa Zoo outside of Tokyo.<\/p>\n

Did Andrew Tate buy Punch the Monkey?<\/p>\n

Manosphere influencers Andrew Tate<\/strong> and his brother Tristan Tate<\/strong>reportedly<\/a> offered $250,000 to buy Punch the Monkey to get him away from what they believe is an abusive environment, indicating that they view Punch as more human than they do women.<\/p>\n

So far, the Ichigawa City Zoo hasn’t taken them up on the offer.<\/p>\n

Related: How to Visit the Viral Monkey, Punch, in Japan’s Ichikawa City Zoo<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

This story was originally published by Parade<\/a> on Apr 8, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment<\/a> section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n