Zookeeper shares update on Punch the monkey, whether he has a girlfriend
More than two months after Punch the monkey became an overnight sensation on social media, the zookeeper at Japan's Ichikawa City Zoo is sharing an update about how he is doing.
"I think the number of monkeys that Punch is getting along with is increasing day by day," Takashi Yasunaga, head of Ichikawa's zoo and botanical gardens, told ABC News' Juju Chang in an interview that aired Friday on "Good Morning America."
Recently, it was rumored that Punch may have a girlfriend, but Yasanuga said he's unsure about that. Rather, it's how other monkeys have accepted Punch as family.
Punch, a Japanese macaque or snow monkey, was born in July 2025 during a heatwave. Yasunaga said that at the time, Punch's mom was "in a lot of distress."
"She was very weak and unable to handle the demands of child-rearing," Yasunaga added. "So she wasn't able to raise Punch."
That's when they gave Punch an orangutan plushie, which is what helped him gain viral attention.
Yasunaga explained, "When Japanese macaques are born, they have a natural instinct to try and cling to something. The zookeepers were trying to figure out what they could get him to grasp, trying out all sorts of different things."
"But it turned out that the item newborn Punch liked the most was that orangutan plushie," he added.
A video shared online earlier this year showed Punch being violently dragged by another monkey.
After escaping, he sought comfort from the stuffed orangutan.
The video of Punch resonated with so many online. The hashtag #HangInTherePunch also circulated on social media to show support for the baby monkey.
These days, Punch seldom relies on the plushie and instead can be found socializing with other monkeys, according to Yasunaga.
