Punch, the baby macaque, with his stuffed toy at Ishikawa Zoo, near Tokyo, on February 19, 2026. STR/AFP
In an era of highly polarized debates, could hope really come from a small ball of dark fur, with two protruding ears, wide eyes and a wrinkled little face? That is the question, judging by the widespread enthusiasm for Punch, a macaque born seven months ago at Ishikawa Zoo, near Tokyo. On Instagram and TikTok, footage of the baby primate in his enclosure has multiplied.
His story is truly worthy of a Charles Dickens novel. Rejected by his mother at birth, Punch has struggled to integrate with his group of macaques. His only lifeline: a much larger orangutan-shaped stuffed toy, which he clings to desperately, especially when bullied by other macaques. The result is at once adorable, funny and somewhat unsettling.
“Punch, we’re with you!” exclaimed one user on Instagram, while comments poured in suggesting everything from elaborate escape plans to adoption, or simply hoping for a quick (and happy) resolution to the saga before everyone slips into despair.
Captivating audiences with a small animal from the other side of the world is nothing new. In 2024, a female pygmy hippo calf named Moo Deng, born in a zoo in Thailand, took over the internet with her round face and mischievous behavior. Closely followed and widely commented on, she inspired thousands of videos and sparked several trends – from a cosmetics line in her colors to a cryptocurrency bearing her image. Knut, the polar bear who graced the cover of Vanity Fair, Pesto the penguin, and Fiona, a prematurely born hippo, have all enjoyed their moments as animal celebrities – only to be quickly forgotten.
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