An unexpected positive update has been issued on Punch, the baby monkey, after the internet has been stressing over his well-being. For those who are unfamiliar, Punch is a seven-month-old Japanese macaque who lives in the Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan - specifically, the monkey mountain enclosure.

Born in July 2025 at Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan, Punch was abandoned by his mother shortly after birth. Left alone, Punch felt scared and sad. But zookeepers at the zoo stepped in to help. They gave him a special orangutan plush toy, which Punch quickly grew to love. He would carry it with him everywhere for comfort.

After he was rejected by his mother, the struggles and triumphs of Punch, a baby monkey in a Japanese zoo, have become a viral sensation.

Empathy crossed species.

One moment he’s being swatted away by another monkey. The next, he’s curled up in a quiet hug. Either way, Punch has the uncanny ability to leave thou.

It's a rough week for empaths.

Punch, like every social animal, has to learn where he stands in the tribal pecking order. That discipline looks like purposeful malice when it is hard-wired instinct.

Punch the Monkey, a baby at Japan’s Ichikawa City Zoo, went viral after bonding with a plush toy. Here’s why the internet can’t stop talking about him.

"Punch", a 6-month-old Japanese Macaque, was abandoned by his mother at birth. His keepers at the Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan had hand raised him since then, giving him a stuffed Orangutan to help combat his "anxiety and loneliness" after he struggled to find acceptance with the other monkeys at the zoo.

Former Manchester United and Mexico striker Javier Hernandez shared an emotional Instagram video reacting to Punch the viral baby macaque from Japan.

If felt your heart strings tugged by baby monkey Punch from Japan, then maybe you're more like him than you think. Here's how.