An abandoned baby monkey orphaned at birth has left people heartbroken after he bonded with a soft cuddly monkey, who has become a stand-in parent
13:12, 19 Feb 2026Updated 13:12, 19 Feb 2026
The pair of monkeys have captured hearts worldwide.(Image: X)
An adorable baby monkey has touched animal-lover hearts across the globe after going viral online due to his emotional support soft toy.
Joined by his plushie companion, Punch, only six months old, is a macaque monkey from Japan who was orphaned at birth after his mother abandoned him, leaving him to turn to a teddy for comfort. The monkey duo has made headlines since zookeepers at Ichikawa City Zoo highlighted the pairs undeniable bond.
Raised by zookeepers since July, 2025, Punch the monkey has been hand fed and loved by staff as best as they can, and is faring well, despite macaques desperately needing their mothers in the early days. The loneliness that followed Punch’s abandonment required the zoo to continuously offer items for the little monkey in an attempt to keep him happy.
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Punch was abandoned by his mother, despite macaques needing to ‘imprint’ on their mothers at birth(Image: X)
But what he settled on has warmed hearts worldwide, with Punch now finding a BFF in a scraggly orangutan. Taking over social media, the two have been caught on camera taking walks around their enclosure and stopping for much needed hugs.
Slightly bigger than Punch in size, his furry friend has become a shoulder ‘to cry on,’ a pillow to sleep on and a support buddy to ‘wingman’ the infant as he attempts to connect with fellow monkeys in the enclosure. Now a trend in Japan, Punch has been championed by locals who hope he will make it to adulthood, many using the hashtag ‘#HangInTherePunch’ to show their love.
His keeper Kosuke Shikano, 24, said that “the stuffed animal [has become] a surrogate mother to him”. Now, Punch has started to become closer with the other monkeys residing in the zoo but continues to be bottle fed to boost his growth.
Punch has found a friend in a trusty orangutan, who acts as his adopted mother(Image: X)
The trusty stuffed orangutan provides comfort when he’s “scolded” by other macaques, said his keeper, telling Metro: “Even when scolded by other monkeys, he quickly recovers. He is mentally strong.” Punch isn’t the first monkey to find comfort in a cuddly toy, with Little Mongkood becoming traumatised after watching the murder of his family, before finding comfort in a stuffed toy. He uses his teddy bear for emotional support, and still sleeps with it by his side.
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