Baby monkey Punch warms hearts in Japan

Punch is a tiny macaque monkey who's become big news in Japan. He's bringing thousands of extra visitors to Ichikawa zoo.

Punch has lived in Ichikawa zoo all his life. He was born there in a heatwave last summer. Because the weather was so hot, Punch's mother stopped looking after him.

Staff at the zoo had to take care of Punch until he was stronger. But since they've returned him to live with the other macaques, he often gets pushed and hit by these monkeys.

The zoo staff saw that Punch was getting nervous and lonely. They thought that a cuddly toy might help him. Punch took the soft-toy orangutan everywhere and hugged it like it was his mother.

Videos of Punch went viral on social media. They've increased winter visitor numbers from under 200 to over 2,000 a day. Jon Frigillana's visiting 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."

Punch now seems more confident. He's spending time playing with some of the others. He's become very close with one female macaque too. She's called Momo-Chan.

For tourist Viviane Oliveira, who's travelled from Brazil, Punch's fairytale ending is important. It shows that hard times don't last forever.

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." View Less