Fans flock to Japan zoo to see viral baby monkey Punch

Dozens of fans flocked to a Japanese zoo on Friday to catch a glimpse of a baby macaque who shot to social media stardom months after being abandoned by his mother. 

Six-month-old Punch became an internet sensation after footage of him clinging forlornly to zookeepers and dragging around a stuffed orangutan toy was widely shared on X.

Punch's mother, perhaps due to it being her first litter or reduced stamina from the summer heat, showed no interest in caring for her young, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported. 

Japanese baby macaques cling to their mothers to feel safe and to build up their muscles. 

The zoo looked for an alternative, such as a towel or different soft toy, but Punch chose the long-legged orangutan. 

"It was easy for him to grab," a zookeeper told Fuji TV. 

"Maybe he also liked (that) it looked like a monkey."

Punch's predicament sparked sympathy online, spawning a devoted fanbase who began posting updates on the monkey under the hashtag #HangInTherePunch. 

The baby monkey was raised in an artificial environment after being born in July, and began training to rejoin his troop last month.

His situation began looking up this month when zookeepers at Ichikawa City Zoo, near Tokyo, posted that he was gradually integrating, including "playfully poking others and getting scolded".

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On Friday, more than 100 visitors gathered around the zoo's monkey enclosure, straining to take photos and shouting "hang in there!" as Punch tried to approach others in the troop.

"We're here since this morning. We rarely come to a zoo but we wanted to see cute Punch," said 32-year-old Sayaka Takimoto, who drove two hours with her husband to see the monkey. 

The couple said they found social media posts of Punch carrying around the soft toy "adorable".

Another visitor, who gave her name as Yoko, said: "He's so cute, so I had to come see him." 

"I studied his pictures in advance so that I could recognise him," the 50-year-old told AFP. 

"It makes me a little sad he's growing so fast, but I'm relieved to see he's making friends."

Some fans, however, were worried by a widely shared video showing Punch being dragged by an adult monkey. 

The zoo issued a statement on Friday asking them to "support Punch's efforts" to socialise as his troop has not shown any serious aggression. 

"While Punch is scolded (by other monkeys), he shows mental strength and resilience," it said. 

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