A Japanese macaque named Punch, abandoned at birth and raised by the Ichikawa City Zoo, has become a social media sensation due to his affection for a small orangutan plushie. The zoo's statement addressed concerns regarding his interactions with other monkeys.
Punch , a Japanese macaque, received an outpour of online love after videos of him clutching a small orangutan plushie at the Ichikawa City Zoo went viral.This photo taken on February 19, 2026 shows a seven month-old male macaque monkey named Punch , who was abandoned by his mother shortly after birth, sitting with a stuffed orangutan toy at Ichikawa City Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Chiba Prefecture.
In January, Panchi-kun had just one friend at the Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan: a small, orange orangutan plushie.The Japanese macaque, who was born in July 2025, “was rescued from being abandoned and raised through hand-rearing,” the zoo Within weeks, his love for his plushie — which he clutches around the zoo and cuddles with while he sleeps — made him a belovedfigure online, with videos and photos of the two of them on social mediaA bonobo tea party: Study shows humans aren't the only species that can pretend "stop showing me that little monkey being bullied by other monkeys i know he finally got a hug from one but i am not in a mental place to see it i will fly to japan and beat up the mean monkeys," By Thursday, another video had emerged that appeared to show Punch getting attacked by an older monkey in his troop. The uproar online prompted the zoo to issue a statement to X.The zoo had previously said others are warming up to Punch within the enclosure.."He’s getting groomed, playfully poking at others, getting scolded, and having all sorts of experiences every day, steadily learning how to live as a monkey within the troop!"A representative for Ichikawa City Zoo did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In their Friday statement, the zookeepers reiterated that “no single monkey has shown serious aggression toward” Punch.They asked that the public “support Punch’s effort rather than feel sorry for him.”one X user wrote A Cinnamon Capuchin monkey broke into a guitar shop in Morristown, TN, causing some damage to the business, according to local police.
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