Better future for baby monkey Punch - 30th March 2026

This macaque monkey lives in a zoo in Japan. Thousands of people are coming to see him.

Punch was born in Ichikawa zoo last summer. It was very hot weather. His mother couldn't look after her baby.

Zoo staff looked after Punch. When he was strong enough, they put him back with the other macaques.

But the other macaques weren't very nice to him. Punch was afraid. He spent a lot of time alone.

Staff gave Punch a soft toy. It's a toy orangutan. He held onto the orangutan. It was like a mother for him.

Videos of Punch got lots of likes online. Now, the zoo has more than 2,000 visitors per day.

Jon Frigillana's from the USA.

Jon Frigillana: "We didn't fly to Japan all the way just for Punch. But, you know, he's been making the headlines. His story is cute, and we just wanted to see him."

Now, Punch feels more confident. He's making friends with other macaques. He's playing lots with another monkey, Momo-Chan. She may be his girlfriend.

Punch's story has a happy ending. It gives people hope, says Viviane Oliveira. She's visiting from Brazil.

Viviane Oliveira: "Yeah, I think he really represents, like, the sense of hope. Because it doesn't matter where you are, you know, there's always hope. You know, he was facing a hard time. But it doesn't mean - when you're facing hard time, it doesn't mean that we're going to be like that forever."