{"id":317900,"date":"2026-03-07T16:31:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T16:31:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/317900\/"},"modified":"2026-03-07T16:31:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T16:31:15","slug":"punch-the-baby-monkey-is-now-waving-at-his-adoring-fans-like-the-king-he-is","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/317900\/","title":{"rendered":"Punch the Baby Monkey Is Now Waving at His Adoring Fans Like the King He Is"},"content":{"rendered":"

Everybody loves watching Punch, the 7-month-old baby macaque monkey who was abandoned by his mother, has an emotional support stuffed orangutan, and has found both a favorite human<\/a> and some new monkey besties<\/a> at the Ichikawa Zoo in Japan. And every time we think he can’t get any cuter, he goes and does just that!<\/p>\n

KTLA 5 shared an adorable video of Punch’s latest antics: he’s learned to wave. The cute little guy has started to wave at his adoring fans like the true king he is, and people are lining up to wave back at him!<\/p>\n

KTLA<\/a> shared in the caption, “Viral baby monkey Punch has learned how to wave!” We’re wondering who taught him this trick<\/a>; maybe his bestie, Kosuke<\/a>?<\/p>\n

One commenter joked that we should make Punch the next Pope. Another said he’s a superstar and asked when the zoo would start selling Punch merch. Clearly, Punch has let his stardom go to his head, and we’re here for it!<\/p>\n

Related: Punch the Baby Monkey\u2019s Human Bestie Breaks Zoo Rules for Him, and the Internet Approves<\/a><\/p>\n

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Does Punch Still Have His Emotional Support Orangutan Stuffie?<\/p>\n

During the newscast, one of the anchors mentioned that the zoo gave Punch a stuffed orangutan<\/a> that he carried everywhere for months, and wondered if Punch still has it. INDEPENDENT<\/a> shared an update about it, and while Punch isn’t as interested in it as he was, zookeepers say it’s a good thing, saying he’s been using it less and less.<\/p>\n

Zookeepers initially gave him the toy to train him to cling, which newborn macaques need to survive.<\/p>\n

\u201c’Helping Punch learn the rules of monkey society and being accepted as a member is our most important task,’ said Kosuke Kano, a 24-year-old zookeeper.”<\/p>\n

Zoo director Shigekazu Mizushina explained, \u201cWhen he grows out of the plush toy that encourages his independence, and that\u2019s what we are hoping for.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that Punch still sleeps with his toy every night, but the next thing keepers are hoping for is that Punch will start sleeping bunched up with other monkeys. We’ll be watching for that, too!<\/p>\n

This story was originally published by PetHelpful<\/a> on Mar 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the Pet News<\/a> section. Add PetHelpful as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n