At this point, Punch the monkey no longer belongs to the zoo. He belongs to the internet.
The 7-month-old macaque at Ichikawa City Zoo near Tokyo first went viral for clinging to a stuffed animal after being abandoned by his mother. (She was just stressed out!) People projected onto him immediately — his loneliness, his resilience, his need for comfort. They rooted for him as if he were the Chosen One in a modern fantasy novel.
And like any good main character, people want updates. Lots of them. So we’re here to provide them to you. For example, just look at this recent clip of Punch jumping into his enclosure:
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Concern for Punch reached such a fever pitch that even joking criticism of him hasn’t gone over well. When comedian Jon Stewart mentioned Punch during a recent taping of The Daily Show, audience members booed at the mere suggestion of anything negative happening to the baby monkey. The moment was brief, but telling.
Despite his name, people don’t want the little monkey to be a punchline. They want him to be safe. They want him to be happy. Mostly, they want him to be OK.
So, what is Punch doing now?
According to the most recent updates from visitors to the Ichikawa City Zoo, Punch is continuing to slowly integrate with the other macaques.
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He still carries his stuffed animal — his emotional support orangutan from IKEA and the object that made him famous — but he’s also spending more time exploring his enclosure and interacting with other monkeys. He’s even found himself a bit of a bodyguard within the enclosure.
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According to a Feb. 23 update from one of his keepers, Punch has been having a lot more fun with the other baby monkeys in the enclosure.
“From what I could see, there were no scenes of him being scolded, and he was observed playing with the other baby monkeys,” the keeper wrote on the zoo’s official X account. “During mealtime, he came down from the keeper’s foot on his own and started eating by himself. He continues to do well.”
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That last detail is especially significant. For the first five months of his life, Punch was hand-raised by zoo staff, forming a close bond with the keepers who fed and cared for him. During meals, he often clung to them for comfort instead of eating alongside the other monkeys. Now, he’s starting to let go.
Choosing to eat on his own may seem like a small step. But for Punch, it’s a sign of something much bigger: independence. A growing confidence. Proof that he’s slowly learning how to be a monkey among other monkeys.
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There are other small but meaningful signs of progress, too. In recent videos shared by zoogoers, Punch can be seen learning to groom by observing a larger monkey carefully picking through another’s fur and mimicking the social behavior that helps macaques bond with one another.
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In another clip, Punch wobbles forward on two legs, a stick in hand. The posture is tentative, almost childlike. And it’s really adorable.
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He’s also learned to open doors — a fantastic new skill.
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How can you help Punch?
The outpouring of concern for Punch has been so intense that people have begun asking how they can help or donate directly to Ichikawa City Zoo.
In a recent post on its official social media accounts, the zoo said it has received “a large number of inquiries” about sending money or goods to support Punch and the zoo. Details about an official donation system will be announced soon, the zoo said.
But officials also issued a clear warning: any fundraising efforts not announced through the zoo’s official channels are not authorized.
“Apart from the announcements made here, the various support activities for our zoo or Punch that are currently being called for in different forms are not officially endorsed,” the zoo wrote. “Please be aware that we cannot take responsibility for any troubles that may arise.”
Punch’s story has become so global that the zoo says it’s now receiving a surge of phone calls from overseas. Staff noted they’re unable to respond to inquiries in languages other than Japanese, a sign of just how far concern for the tiny macaque and his Oran Mama plushie has spread.
So, TL;DR — Don’t harass the zoo. Punch is doing OK. You can all exhale now.
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