Baby Monkey Punch, Who Won Hearts With Plushie ‘Mother,’ Finds Real Family At Japan Zoo

A baby Japanese macaque who captured global attention by clinging to a stuffed orangutan for comfort has taken a heartwarming step forward he is now bonding with real members of his troop.

Punch, a seven-month-old macaque at the Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan, was rejected by his biological mother shortly after his birth in July 2025. To ease his distress, zookeepers gave him a plush orangutan, which he quickly adopted as a surrogate companion and affectionately dubbed “Ora-mama” by followers online.

Videos of Punch cuddling, dragging, and playing with the stuffed toy spread rapidly across social media, drawing an outpouring of affection from viewers around the world who rallied behind him under the hashtag “keep going, Punch.”

According to recent updates from the zoo, the breakthrough came in the form of grooming — a gesture that carries deep significance in primate communities. Far from a simple act, grooming among macaques signals trust, acceptance, and social belonging. To be groomed is, in essence, to be welcomed into the fold.

Following that milestone, footage emerged of Punch engaging playfully with other young monkeys — cautiously at first, then with increasing confidence. The early reintegration attempts had been challenging, with zookeepers acknowledging that unfamiliar faces, new social dynamics, and the complex codes of macaque society made for a difficult start.

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But something quietly shifted. The once-lonely infant who rarely let his plush companion out of sight is now steadily finding his place among his own kind.

For the global internet community that followed his journey, the development feels like a shared victory one small monkey’s long road from a soft toy stand-in to the real warmth of his troop.