Earlier this year, a baby Japanese macaque named Punch captured hearts around the world after a difficult start to life at a zoo in Japan. The young monkey had been abandoned by his mother and was reportedly bullied by other monkeys in the troop.
Punch lives at Ichikawa City Zoo near Tokyo, where visitors quickly became attached to his story. At the time, he was often seen holding and cuddling a stuffed orangutan toy for comfort, which made many people emotional online.
His story spread quickly across social media, and he became one of the most followed zoo animals on the internet. So many people wanted to see him that the zoo reportedly had to limit visitors to short viewing times because of the crowds.
Even Lisa from the K pop group BLACKPINK visited the zoo to see Punch after hearing about his story.
Now new videos show a happier side of Punch. He has been seen cuddling, playing, and spending time with a female macaque named Momo chan. Many people online quickly started calling her his girlfriend after seeing the videos.
However, animal experts say the behavior is normal social bonding for macaques. Momo chan is older than Punch, and the relationship is more like a big sister helping a younger monkey feel safe and accepted.
Zoo staff say Punch still has his stuffed toy nearby sometimes, but he no longer depends on it as much. They say this is a good sign that he is becoming more independent and slowly integrating into the monkey troop.
Many people online are now celebrating Punch again, saying they are happy to finally see the little monkey looking safe, accepted, and not alone anymore.
