A baby macaque monkey named Punch has won over every heart on the internet after being abandoned by his mom a few months ago. Team Punch first started when we all watched him being bullied and ignored by the troop he was with, and his caretakers ended up giving him a stuffed orangutan that became his first friend. Since then, he made one of his caretakers his human bestie, and slowly became accepted by the troop. He’s now thriving and we’re all here for it!

Now, we’re all obsessed with watching Punch interact with all his new friends. ABC7NY shared an adorable video on Friday of him cuddling up with one of his friends before hitching a ride on his back. The whole thing is just too cute and we want to see more of Punch and his new friends!

ABC shared in the caption, “Punch, the macaque monkey, seems to be making friends at Ichikawa Zoo in Japan. A visitor captured footage of Punch cuddling with a fellow monkey before climbing on his back!” The whole scene made us smile!

Related: Video of Punch the Baby Monkey Happily Running on Two Feet Has the Internet Melting

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Sweet Reactions to Punch and His New Monkey Bestie

Like us, viewers were smitten with watching Punch and his new friends. Everybody agreed when @Gabriela pointed out, “Imagine being told you’re on assignment to Japan to report on Baby Punch. Best job ever!!!”

We couldn’t agree more with @Cox AR who shared, “He needs so many hugs for all these months of never having love or hugs.”

@TrueBlue$ pointed out, “He’s so clingy!” @Love2020 agreed, “Punch be a lil extra at times lol!” @Rajo added, “He’s a full-time hugger!”

Another commenter said, “He’s so affectionate!” and @Alpine & Moo Moo added, “Punchy realizing things his plushie can’t do…”

@ThreeProng shared, “Someone from there said Punch’s friend was rescued from a circus, and that he was bullied, too, at first. And, that’s why he’s being so nice to our Punch boy.”

There’s definitely something to be said for paying it forward. We hope that Punch will do the same sometime in the future!

This story was originally published by PetHelpful on Feb 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the Pet News section. Add PetHelpful as a Preferred Source by clicking here.