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Baby Monkey Punch Captures Hearts at Chiba Pref. Zoo, on Social Media, While Hugging Stuffed Orangutan as Mother

From Ichikawa City Zoo’s X account
Japanese macaque Punch holds a stuffed orangutan in January in Ichikawa City Zoo in Chiba Prefecture.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:03 JST, February 20, 2026

CHIBA — A 6-month-old Japanese macaque at a zoo in Chiba Prefecture has captured the hearts of many, thanks to the sight of him clinging to a large stuffed orangutan as if to his mother and trying hard to blend in with the group.

Punch was born in July last year at Ichikawa City Zoo. With his mother showing no interest in raising the baby, Punch was switched to artificial feeding the day after he was born and grew up drinking milk from a bottle.

Since baby Japanese macaques feel protected when hugging their mothers, zoo staff looked for a suitable “mother” for Punch and found a stuffed orangutan on display at the zoo.

From Ichikawa City Zoo’s X account
Japanese macaque Punch rests in a basket with a stuffed orangutan toy after being born, in July last year.

Scenes of Punch dragging a stuffed animal twice his size and running back and forth around monkey mountain became popular not only among visitors, but also on social media.

The orangutan stuffed animal is from IKEA. On Tuesday, IKEA Japan in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, donated 33 of its stuffed animals to Ichikawa City, which runs the zoo. The zoo plans to use them as spare stuffed animals.