The Internet Loves an Animal. And Now a Monkey With a Stuffed Animal Mom Has Taken Over
One monkey ground the Internet to a halt by being too cute. This weekend, Punch the macaque and his stuffed orangutan companion have dominated social media.
Punch is a little under a year old and was abandoned by his mother. It’s an unfortunate reality of life in the animal kingdom. Luckily for the small monkey, he was raised at Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan. One of the caretakers gave him this stuffed buddy because Punch has had a hard time bonding with the other primates. He’s got a ton of followers he has no idea about now though.
On Twitter, we learn, “The story of Punch at Ichikawa City Zoo. Abandoned by his mother, he was raised by humans. When he was introduced to the zoo’s monkey troop, he couldn’t fit in with the monkey society. He keeps hugging the doll given to him by the caretakers, so sad, yet so cute.”
Punch is learning the ropes about getting along with other monkeys. He’ll probably be fine. But, the photos of him dragging that stuffed orange guy around with him have been everywhere. For him, it’s like his mother, seeing as she’s not around. Who doesn’t love a little comfort in a hard time? As Punch tries to get the ball rolling on a more normal life for a monkey living at the zoo, you can bet there will be more admirers there on Monday morning.
Punch the monkey takes over the Internet
Various fan sites have broken down what’s been going on with the Internet’s current cute animal obsession. Zookeeper Kosuke Shikano told Chibanippo, “It won’t be easy, but I’d be happy if he stays healthy and lives as part of the herd like Otome.” As you would expect, this monkey business has delivered a ton of eyeballs for the zoo. The director of the facility, Takashi Yasunaga, is ready to welcome all those people with open arms.
Yasunaga said, “I hope Punch stays healthy and returns to the herd, where he’ll be happy. I hope you’ll come and see him.” For a lot of folks reading out there on the Internet, that hope is super relatable. Who would have thought a tiny monkey dragging around a stuffed animal would unite everyone on Valentine’s Day weekend? Well, social media is nothing if not unpredictable.
What ever happened to Moo Deng?
You know, the pygmy hippo craze is just a spot in our memories now. But, there was a time where you couldn’t scroll social media without someone fawning over Moo Deng. The Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand experienced a similar influx of viral traffic after the tiny hippo captured the world’s heart. Back in 2024, folks were enamored with the little lady as she caused general chaos. (There were so many memes about Moo Deng freaking out at being held by a caretaker.)
Moo Deng turned 1 last year. And, people flew in from around the world to celebrate. The Zoo is still Moo Deng central, for those who are wondering. Caretaker Atthapon Nundee told Reuters that they’re grateful for all the support. “Moo Deng has made more people know about the zoo and they travel here, generating so much income for us – which allows us to improve the zoo a lot,” they said. Hopefully, the people taking care of Punch get the same help!
(featurd image: Ichikawa Zoo in Japan)
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