Dozens of fans gathered at a zoo in Japan to catch a glimpse of a baby monkey who rose to social media stardom months after being abandoned by his mother.
Footage of 6-month-old Punch clinging to his caretaker forlornly and dragging a stuffed orangutan around him was widely shared on X, creating an internet sensation.
Punch’s mother showed no interest in caring for the child, perhaps because it was her first time giving birth or because her physical strength was weakened by the summer heat, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported.
Baby Japanese macaques cling to their mothers and strengthen their muscles to feel secure.
The zoo looked for alternatives, such as towels or other stuffed animals, but Punch chose an orangutan because of its long legs.
“It was easy to catch,” a zookeeper told Fuji TV.
“Maybe he also liked that it resembled a monkey.”
Punch has been dragging his stuffed animal buddy around for months. (Reuters: Kim Kyung-hoon)
Punch’s plight sparked sympathy online and created a devoted fanbase who began posting updates about the monkey using the hashtag #HangInTherePunch.
The baby monkey has been raised in an artificial environment since it was born in July, and began training to rejoin the herd last month.
His situation started to improve this month, when a zookeeper at the Ichikawa City Zoo near Tokyo posted that he was gradually integrating into society, “jokingly poking others and getting scolded.”
Ichikawa City Zoo officials have been working to integrate Punch into the broader herd.
(Reuters: Kim Kyung-hoon)
More than 100 visitors gathered around the zoo’s monkey enclosure on Friday, eagerly taking photos and shouting “Good luck!” as Punch tried to approach the rest of the squad.
“We’ve been here since this morning. We rarely come to the zoo, but we wanted to meet the cute Punch,” said Sayaka Takimoto, 32, who drove two hours with her husband to see the monkeys.
The couple said they found Punch’s social media posts of him carrying around a stuffed animal “adorable.”
“She was so cute that I had to come and see her,” said another visitor who gave her name as Yoko.
“I looked up his photo beforehand so I could recognize him,” the 50-year-old told AFP.
“I’m a little sad because he’s growing up so fast, but I feel relieved when I see him making new friends.”
Space was at a premium as monkey fans flooded the zoo on Friday. (Reuters: Kim Kyung-hoon)
But some fans were worried after a widely shared video showing Punch being dragged by an adult monkey.
The zoo issued a statement Friday asking people to “support Punch’s efforts” to socialize him, as the herd had not shown any serious aggression.
“Even though Punch is being scolded (by the other monkeys), he is showing mental strength and resilience.”
AFP