Viral lonely monkey Punch finds a playmate
Viral baby monkey Punch is not so lonely anymore!
Videos making the rounds online showed the young macaque, who got famous for clinging to a stuffed toy orangutan, playing with a new companion at the Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan.
Numerous outlets, including the New York Post, reported that Punch's new playmate is a female macaque believed to be named Momo-chan. Some users online have been calling her Punch's girlfriend, as the two are seen embracing each other and appearing to kiss.
@ikaaa1805 punch & bestie 😍❤️#monkeypunch ♬ Beautiful Destiny - Zia Hana
"Punch found a girlfriend and you're still single," one user on X joked.
Another noted that Momo's red fur is similar to that of Punch's IKEA plush.
"He chose one the same color as his plushie," a user said.
Earlier in February, Takashi Yasunaga, the head of the Ichikawa municipal government's zoo and botanical gardens division, said that Punch has gradually acclimated to his home and now has an "active and fearless personality."
Punch became an internet sensation last month after footage of him clinging forlornly to zookeepers and dragging around a stuffed orangutan toy was widely shared on X.
Punch's mother, perhaps due to it being her first litter or reduced stamina from the summer heat, showed no interest in caring for her young, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported.
Japanese baby macaques cling to their mothers to feel safe and to build up their muscles. The zoo looked for an alternative, such as a towel or a different soft toy, but Punch chose the long-legged orangutan.
Lately about 2,000 to 3,000 people a day have been flocking to the facility, roughly 10 times the usual number during the winter off-season, zoo official Takashi Yasunaga told AFP. (with reports from AFP)