Punch the Monkey Makes Friends at Japan Zoo

Punch, the orphaned Japanese macaque at Ichikawa City Zoo near Tokyo, goes viral again with heartwarming progress. After his mother rejected him at birth in July 2025, zookeepers hand-reared the baby and gave him a plush orangutan toy for comfort, which captured hearts worldwide. The zoo began reintegrating him into the monkey mountain enclosure on January 19, 2026, pairing him with a gentle young female to build confidence.