Punch, a six-month-old baby macaque monkey from Japan, is capturing the hearts of users on the internet with his unlikely friendship with a popular stuffed animal.
Punch was rejected by his mother after birth, as well as his fellow monkeys, but that didn’t stop him from finding companionship.
Thanks to caretakers at the Ichikawa Zoo in Japan, he has bonded with an orange stuffed orangutan from IKEA that became his version of a security blanket.
He hasn’t let go of that toy since. That same toy is on sale for $20 as the IKEA DJUNGELSKOG Orangutan in case you are looking for something to cuddle and comfort you.
Here is what people have been saying about Punch the monkey and his stuffed animal.
What have people been saying about Punch and his orangutan stuffed animal?
People around the world have weighed in about Punch’s newfound friend at the zoo.
“It is cute to see the little monkey dragging the stuffed animal around but it is very sad at the same time,” one user wrote on X.
“I want to tell him it’s going to be ok,” another user wrote on X.
The zoo has also reported that Punch is starting to integrate with other monkeys in his enclosure.
“He’s 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!” the zoo posted earlier this month.
You can follow Punch’s exploits through the Ichikawa Zoo’s social media channel.