Everyone loves a good underdog story, and Punch, a baby macaque, has captured the attention of the world for just that. Born July 2025 at the Ichikawa City Zoo, Punch gained fame through videos of him carrying around a toy to acclimate to his new home.
After his birth, Punch was rejected by his mother, so zookeepers gifted him an orangutan plushie to cuddle and function as a surrogate mother. Fans all over the world started rooting for Punch after videos surfaced of him being hit and ridiculed by others in the troop.
Monkeys are deeply social creatures, so although bullying is “normal” to establish social orders, it still affects the development of young monkeys. The zoo, however, released a statement describing how it is more important to support Punch’s efforts rather than simply being upset by his exclusion.
In fact, Punch has been seen improving socially. On March 15, videos of Punch showed him playing and cuddling with another macaque. Many social media users have described this fellow monkey as Punch’s girlfriend. They even gave her a name: Momo-Chan, or little peach in Japanese.
Fans are so excited to see Punch that the zoo had to make changes to handle the influx of people traveling to visit. On March 19, the zoo released updated guidelines. Now, guests may only spend 10 minutes in the front row of the enclosure so everyone can see the adorable monkey. The zoo also requested for people to not take photos of zookeepers who are working to respect their privacy.
Punch’s social improvements are adorable to follow along with, and fans are hopeful that one day Punch will be fully accepted into the troop. For now, follow along as the Ichikawa City Zoo leaves Punch updates through their X account – @ichikawa_zoo.
