Who is Punch?
Punch is a small seven-month-old Japanese macaque monkey found in a zoo located in Ichikawa, Japan. He was abandoned by his mother and despised by the other monkeys in the zoo.
Punch’s Story.
The little monkey, better known as “Punch”, is a seven-month-old monkey that went viral in 2026 on social media networks. It was revealed that Punch was rejected by his mother and sought maternal affection near the rest of the other monkeys in the zoo, but was rejected and beaten.
Why do mother monkeys abandon their monkeys?
Sometimes mother monkeys abandon their babies because they are first-time mothers or on some occasions they abandon them because they prioritize their health.
The monkey caretakers gave Punch a stuffed monkey. Over time, he adopted it as his mother.When Punch had conflicts with the other monkeys, he ran to take the stuffed monkey (his adopted mother) and hid behind some rocks so that the other monkeys would not bother him again.
When one of the caretakers came in to feed all the monkeys, Punch would quickly run to hug the caretaker’s shoulder because he felt the caretaker had the affection he needed; Punch felt protected and loved by someone.
Internet users made videos of Punch go viral, showing him winning the hearts of thousands of people from all over the world. By winning the affection of so many people, Punch became important to humanity—so important, in fact, that several celebrities and YouTubers tried to offer large sums of money to the zoo owners to acquire him.
But finally, after many rejections, Punch was accepted by the group of monkeys and received the hug and affection he had longed for.
Websites.
