Fact Check: Story of Punch the monkey finding comfort in stuffed animal after abandonment melts hearts

Claim:

The story of Punch the monkey finding comfort in a stuffed animal after being abandoned at birth is real.

Rating:

In early 2026, images and videos appearing to show a baby monkey holding an orangutan plush toy went viral on social media.

Posts across the internet — including on X, TikTok and Reddit — claimed that “Punch the monkey” was rejected by his mother and carried the stuffed animal around for comfort.

While Punch pulled on heartstrings across the world, skeptical Snopes readers searched the website to verify the story’s legitimacy. Several readers specifically searched for information on whether content about the abandoned monkey was generated by artificial intelligence.

Punch the baby monkey and his emotional support stuffed orangutan are real, according to the official X account (archived) of Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan, Punch’s residence as of this writing. The zoo said its zookeepers hand-reared the rescued monkey, a Japanese macaque, after his parents abandoned him. As such, we have rated this claim as true.

While the Ichikawa City Zoo does not have a verified badge on X indicating that it is an official account, its official website — denoted by the domain “lg.jp,” which is reserved for local governments in Japan — links to the aforementioned X account at the bottom of its homepage, confirming the account’s legitimacy.

Credible photojournalism databases like Getty Images and reputable news outlets from around the world have published images and videos of Punch and his stuffed orangutan from varying angles, further corroborating the story.

A Feb. 27 update from the zoo said Punch “continues to live with his stuffed toy,” per an auto-translation from Japanese to English by X’s artificial intelligence bot, Grok, though a Feb. 28 post said he was “still keeping his distance from the stuffed animals” that day. A Feb. 23 post, also translated by Grok, said “he was observed playing with the other baby monkeys” and “continues to do well.” 

Additional videos appearing to show Punch being “dragged” by other monkeys caused outrage among many social media users, but the zoo explained in a Feb. 19 X post that it “anticipated that this challenge may arise” and noted that “no single monkey has shown serious aggression to him.”

“While Punch is scolded, he shows resilience and mental strength. When you observe these disciplinary behaviors from other troop members toward Punch when he tries to communicate with them, we would like you to support Punch’s effort rather than feel sorry for him,” the zoo wrote.

It is also worth noting that following widespread attention on Punch’s story, the zoo has seen an influx of visitors, many of whom have posted videos online. Given the popularity of Punch’s story, internet users have also generated numerous images and videos of Punch using artificial intelligence. As such, we cannot independently verify the legitimacy of every image and video of Punch.

Punch’s story

Punch was born on July 26, 2025, at Ichikawa City Zoo and was reportedly named after the original author of a manga, or Japanese comic book, called “Lupin III.” Japanese news outlets, such as English-language daily newspaper The Mainichi (archived), reported that Punch’s mother was “exhausted from her first birth in the heat of summer” and “showed no signs of caring for him.” 

Abandonment by macaque mothers is unusual, but it can happen, according to researchers. Male macaques only occasionally care for macaque infants.

The Mainichi reported that zookeepers tried various substitutes for Punch’s mother to act as comfort, including rolled-up towels and various stuffed animals. Punch “took a liking” to the orangutan plush toy, reportedly from Ikea.

“Providing a stuffed toy and towels to hold onto not only stimulates clinging to a mother but also prevents excessive dependence on humans,” the zoo said in a Feb. 27 statement. “This approach is used for other artificially reared primates at our zoo, not just Japanese macaques.”

Zookeepers then reintroduced him to the rest of the zoo’s monkey troop on Jan. 19. According to the zoo, Japanese macaque infants usually begin spending more time away from their mothers around six months of age, but return when seeking comfort or wanting to nurse. In Punch’s case, he returns to his stuffed toy “when he perceives danger,” but the human caretakers provide milk and meals.

Ichikawa City Zoo said its staff has successfully reintegrated hand-reared animals into groups in the past. In 2009, for example, the zoo reintegrated a Japanese macaque named Otome who used a stuffed yellow bear as a substitute for her mother. Otome went on to give birth four times and raised “all of her offspring on her own.”

“Our entire staff will put their utmost effort into ensuring that Punch can live a healthy and fulfilling life as a member of the troop and as a Japanese macaque,” the zoo wrote.

Sources:

@ichikawa_zoo. “～Announcement～ Currently, There Is a Baby Monkey Holding a Stuffed Toy inside Saruyama. Born on July 26, 2025, It Was Rescued from Being Abandoned and Raised through Hand-Rearing, and Has Been Living with the Troop since January 19 This Year. His Name Is Punch, a Boy! Please Watch over Punch’s Growth with Warm Support!” X (Formerly Twitter), 4 Feb. 2026, x.com/ichikawa_zoo/status/2019304990565904830. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.

—. “2/23 (Mon) Punch’s Condition Zookeeper: ‘from What I Could See, There Were No Scenes of Him Being Scolded, and He Was Observed Playing with the Other Baby Monkeys. During Mealtime, He Came down from the Keeper’s Foot on His Own and Started Eating by Himself. He Continues to Do Well!'” X (Formerly Twitter), 23 Feb. 2026, x.com/ichikawa_zoo/status/2025862999849017440. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.

—. “2/28 (Sat) 12:05 Noon Mealtime Draws Quite the Crowd [Front Row 10-Minute Rule] Your Cooperation Is Appreciated 🙇‍♂️ When Did Our Zoo Turn into Such an International Hotspot? 😅 Punch Is Still Keeping His Distance from the Stuffed Animals Today Sorry to Those Who Wanted to See Them Together, but the Group Integration Is Going Smoothly, and the Keepers Are Thrilled 👍 .” X (Formerly Twitter), 27 Feb. 2026, x.com/ichikawa_zoo/status/2027581948311572597?s=20. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.

—. “Allow Me to Explain Once Again. Regarding Punch’s Hand-Rearing and the Process up to Now: The 2009 ‘Otome’ Flock Introduction Report That Appears in the Text Is Here Https://City.ichikawa.lg.jp/Zoo/0325.Html.” X (Formerly Twitter), 27 Feb. 2026, x.com/ichikawa_zoo/status/2027295585792061786. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.

—. “On February 28 (Sat), the Number of Park Visitors Was Approximately 3,900. For February, It Was about 47,000 People, More than Double the Previous Year. We Discussed Selfie Sticks with the Zookeepers. We Cannot Say That Their Slim Shape Has No Impact on the Monkeys, and There Are Concerns about Troubles such as Them Falling into the Monkey Enclosure, so Starting Tomorrow, We Will Prohibit Their Use. We Ask for Your Understanding and Thorough Cooperation 🙇‍♂️.” X, 28 Feb. 2026, x.com/ichikawa_zoo/status/2027663313015083418.

—. “Regarding the Video That Appears to Have Been Filmed Yesterday (2/19) of ‘Punch Being Dragged by a Group of Monkeys’ Please Take a Look at the Attachment.” X (Formerly Twitter), 19 Feb. 2026, x.com/ichikawa_zoo/status/2024750066951766466?s=20. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.

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Cassidy, Caitlin. “‘What’s up with All These Monkeys’: Djungelskog the Orangutan Comforted Punch – but Can the Ikea Toy Help Me?” The Guardian, The Guardian, 24 Feb. 2026, www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/24/punch-monkey-djungelskog-ikea-toy. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.

David Mareuil/Anadolu. “Baby Monkey Named ‘Punch’ Is Seen with a Stuffed Animal at a Zoo On…” Getty Images, 20 Feb. 2026, www.gettyimages.it/detail/fotografie-di-cronaca/baby-monkey-named-punch-is-seen-with-a-stuffed-fotografie-di-cronaca/2262116657?adppopup=true. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.

—. “Baby Monkey Named ‘Punch’ Is Seen with a Stuffed Animal at a Zoo On…” Getty Images, 20 Feb. 2026, www.gettyimages.it/detail/fotografie-di-cronaca/baby-monkey-named-punch-is-seen-with-a-stuffed-fotografie-di-cronaca/2262116846?adppopup=true. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.

読売新聞オンライン. “千葉：子ザル「パンチ」すくすく ぬいぐるみ「母親代わり」 市川市動植物園：地域ニュース.” 読売新聞オンライン, 17 Feb. 2026, www.yomiuri.co.jp/local/chiba/news/20260217-GYTNT00242/. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.

Ichikawa City Zoo. www.city.ichikawa.lg.jp/site/zoo/.

JIJI PRESS / AFP via Getty Images. “JAPAN-ANIMAL.” Getty Images, 19 Feb. 2026, www.gettyimages.it/detail/fotografie-di-cronaca/this-photo-taken-on-february-19-2026-shows-a-7-fotografie-di-cronaca/2262074319?adppopup=true.

“JPRS Introduces ‘LG.JP’, a New Second-Level Domain for Local Governments / Japan Registry Services Co., Ltd.” Jprs.co.jp, jprs.co.jp/en/topics/2002/021001.html. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.

Kuběnová, Barbora, and Andrew J. J. MacIntosh. “Maternal Rejection but Not Protectiveness Predicts Juvenile Japanese Macaque Behavior without Direct Maternal Influence.” American Journal of Primatology, vol. 86, no. 10, Wiley, Aug. 2024, https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23672. Accessed 27 Oct. 2025.

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news.com.au. “Punch the Viral Lonely Monkey Makes a New Friend.” YouTube, 22 Feb. 2026, www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKCkS5KOzmo. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.

PBS NewsHour. “Punch the Monkey Melts Hearts after Rejection and Unlikely Friendship.” YouTube, 27 Feb. 2026, www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiNtaRfYBkg. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.

The Mainichi. “Abandoned Monkey at Zoo near Tokyo Finds Comfort in Stuffed Animal, Creates Buzz – the Mainichi.” The Mainichi, 23 Feb. 2026, mainichi.jp/english/articles/20260217/p2a/00m/0li/008000c.

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