Lonely Baby Monkey Finds Comfort and Slowly Makes Friends

Punch, a 7-month-old macaque at Ichikawa City Zoo outside Tokyo, drew attention after his mother abandoned him following a difficult birth during a heat wave. Zookeepers nursed him, and he spent his early weeks clinging to a large stuffed orangutan while staff reintroduced him to the troop.

The zoo’s posts and the hashtag #HangInTherePunch turned the youngster into an online favorite. Videos initially showed Punch being swatted away by adults and often playing alone, so keepers tried rolled towels and even a giraffe as substitutes until the toy primate proved especially comforting and helpful for building muscle strength.

Signs of change have begun to appear: recent clips show Punch climbing on another monkey, getting groomed, sitting with adults and receiving a hug. Takashi Yasunaga, who leads the municipal zoo and botanical gardens division, said Punch was wary at first but is gradually acclimating and now has “an active and fearless personality,” proactively trying to communicate with the other monkeys.

Japan, Ichikawa, Tokyo

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