The heartbreaking tale of a lonely baby monkey at a Japanese zoo has seemingly taken a wholesome turn.<\/p>\n
In January, Panchi-kun (or Punch, in English) had just one friend at the Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan: a small, orange orangutan plushie. <\/p>\n
The Japanese macaque, who was born in July 2025, \u201cwas rescued from being abandoned and raised through hand-rearing,\u201d the zoo wrote in an X post<\/a> translated to English. <\/p>\n Within weeks, his love for his plushie \u2014 which he clutches around the zoo and cuddles with while he sleeps \u2014 made him a beloved figure online, with videos and photos of the two of them on social media racking up millions of views<\/a>.<\/p>\n But his popularity online didn\u2019t appear to translate to his real-life relationships. Videos circulating online showed other monkeys shoving <\/a>Punch, leaving him only his emotional support toy as comfort. <\/p>\n On X, many Japanese fans of the monkey began using the hashtag \u304c\u3093\u3070\u308c\u30d1\u30f3\u30c1<\/a>, which loosely translates to \u201cHangInTherePunch,” to express their solidarity with the beloved creature. <\/p>\n “we, as a society, should create a panchi-kun protection squad” wrote one X user<\/a>. <\/p>\n “stop showing me that little monkey being bullied by other monkeys i know he finally got a hug from one but i am not in a mental place to see it i will fly to japan and beat up the mean monkeys,” another wrote<\/a>. <\/p>\n The zoo has since said others are warming up to Punch within the enclosure.<\/p>\n “Punch is gradually deepening his interactions with the troop of monkeys!” the zoo wrote in a post on X on Feb. 6<\/a>. “He\u2019s getting groomed, playfully poking at others, getting scolded, and having all sorts of experiences every day, steadily learning how to live as a monkey within the troop!”<\/p>\n On Thursday, the zoo reported more progress, writing, <\/a>“As the days go by, the number of individuals Punch interacts with has been increasing.”<\/p>\n By Sunday, it seemed like many of Punch’s human friends in Japan wanted to ensure his well-being. The zoo posted its<\/a> “heartfelt gratitude” to the “the unprecedented and unexpected crowds” who came to see Punch. <\/p>\n Even some major brands have been rooting for Punch. <\/p>\n Ichikawa City Mayor Ko Tanaka wrote in a post on X<\/a> on Tuesday that Petra Fare, president and chief sustainability officer of IKEA Japan, was donating multiple replacements of its $20 \u201cDJUNGELSKOGSoft\u201d orangutan toy<\/a>, as well as new plushies for Punch.<\/p>\n A representative for Ichikawa City Zoo did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.<\/p>\n Whether Punch will need more plushes as his social life grows remains to be seen. <\/p>\n