An abandoned baby monkey who broke the hearts of millions online after he was spotted cuddling a stuffed orangutan given to him as a replacement for his mother has finally found solace among his own kind.

Punch, a young Japanese macaque at Japan’s Ichikawa City Zoo, has become a hot topic after a video was released showing him dragging and playing with a stuffed animal given to him by a zookeeper.

During his first few months of life, he struggled to form bonds with the other monkeys in his zoo enclosure, with only his human handlers and stuffed animals to rely on. However, recent videos show that he is turning things around. They were seen being hugged by one monkey and grooming another monkey. This is an important part of monkey socialization.

Matt Lovatt, director of Britain’s Trentham Monkey Forest, told BBC Breakfast about Punch’s behavior.

Mr Lovatt, who oversees the health of the Barbary macaques at the wildlife sanctuary near Stoke-on-Trent, said: “It’s great to see him starting to groom himself, because it’s an important way for these primates to start forming friendships with the monkeys in their group.”

Video edited by Marina Costa