Packing an empathy Punch

How a Japanese monkey became internet’s shared moment of tenderness

- SUGANDHA MUKHERJEE

IT'S NOTA cat video, and the lone penguin clip is old in internet years.

But if you've spent any time scrolling through Instagram or X over the past few weeks, chances are you've come across a tiny monkey hauling around an orangutan plushie nearly his own size.

Abandoned by his mother and left to navigate the complex world of macaque society on his own, Punch, or Punch-kun as he is affectionately known in Japanese, has found comfort in the unlikeliest of companions, a plush orangutan from IKEA. In doing so, the six-month-old Japanese macaque has transformed private loneliness into a public outpouring of affection, becoming one of the internet's most beloved animal stars. From self-confessed internet junkies to Manchester United cult hero Javier Hernandez, viewers across the world have found themselves unexpectedly moved by his story.

Located just outside Tokyo, Ichikawa City Zoo became the unlikely epicentre of a global viral moment. Punch was born there in July last year, but his start in life was far from easy. According to zoo officials, his biological mother rejected him shortly after birth, likely due to the stress of a difficult delivery during an intense summer heatwave. Without maternal care, Punch had to be hand-raised by zookeepers. But when the time came in January to reintegrate him into the troop, he faced a daunting transition.