Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 07:32pm on 18 Feb 2026,Wednesday International
A six-month-old macaque named Punch is winning hearts online after videos showed him hugging a soft toy at a zoo in Japan. Zoo staff said his mother rejected him soon after birth. Keepers then raised him by hand and gave him blankets and toys for comfort. Punch soon bonded with a plush orangutan and now carries it around his enclosure. He is often seen holding it close and sleeping beside it. Keeper Kosuke Shikano said, “The stuffed animal’s fur made it easy to grab and likely provided a sense of security.” Punch is now slowly meeting other macaques again.
