"At the artificial rock mountain, a baby monkey is hugging a stuffed animal," Ichikawa City Zoo in Chiba Prefecture posted on X, identifying the 6-month-old male monkey as Punch. The post, featuring images of the monkey tightly embracing one orangutan plush toy like a "surrogate mother," moved many. The Japanese hashtag "Go, Punch" spread rapidly.

Punch was born in July 2025. According to the zoo, it was the mother's first birth, occurring during a summer heatwave. She became exhausted and neglected her offspring. Consequently, two staff members, Kosuke Shikano and Shunpei Miyakoshi, took over the care of the young monkey.

Punch, the monkey, hugs a plush toy at Ichikawa City Zoo, Chiba Prefecture. Photo: Mainichi

Over the past six months, the two staff members raised Punch in an area simulating the scent and sounds of other monkeys. This approach aimed to help him better integrate into the troop later. Baby monkeys typically cling to their mother's fur for safety and muscle development. Lacking this opportunity, staff members tried various alternatives, from rolled towels to different plush toys. Punch particularly liked one orangutan-shaped plush toy, often sleeping with it at night. "The plush toy is like a surrogate mother," Shikano said.

On 19/1, staff returned Punch to the monkey mountain enclosure. Initially, other monkeys were wary. Punch was occasionally intimidated when trying to approach and could hardly let go of his plush toy.

Punch gained attention after visitors posted photos and videos of him on X. "Seeing the monkey made me tear up. Following him and crying became a daily habit. I felt my heart cleansed," one social media user commented.

The monkey mountain area at Ichikawa City Zoo in Chiba Prefecture. Photo: Mainichi

According to Shikano, parental abandonment of offspring occurs at a certain rate. "The burden of the first birth can be a factor," he explained. "We observed from a distance on the day Punch was born, as sometimes other mother monkeys in the troop are willing to care for young, but we saw no such signs. Since Punch was healthy, we temporarily separated him from the troop and began hand-feeding him milk."

Punch currently weighs about 2 kg. The animal is gradually getting used to the monkey mountain and increasing interactions with others. "He actively communicates and is growing noticeably," Miyakoshi remarked. "Even when intimidated, he calms down very quickly; his temperament is quite stable."

Duc Trung (According to Mainichi, Asahi, Japan Times)