‘Punch’ the monkey has gone viral for the saddest of reasons

A baby monkey at a Japanese zoo has gone viral after photos and videos showed him clutching a small stuffed toy.

The monkey, named Punch, was born on July 26, 2025 and had to be hand-raised - cared for by staff, rather than its mother - in Japan’s Ichikawa City Zoo and Botanical Garden after being abandoned.

He was successfully reinforced to his troop in January and regularly carries the plush toy, the zoo said on X.

The viral tweet, posted earlier this month, amassed about 74,000 likes and nearly four million views.

Posts on Punch sparked an online support community that has even sent donations to help with his care.

“We will make good use of them,” the zoo posted.

The sudden attention has also trigged a surge of visitors after the posts on Punch went viral, with the zoo reporting unusually large crowds and longer wait times.

Staff said they are preparing for continued high interest – especially during upcoming holiday weekends – while encouraging the public to “warmly watch over Punch’s growth.”

Punch is a Japanese macaque, a species native to Japan and often nicknamed ‘snow monkey’ because of its ability to survive in cold climates.

Known for its pinkish faces and thick brown-gray fur, Japanese macaques typically live in troop structures that can have up to 161 monkeys.