The sweet story of a rejected macaque who found a friend in a stuffed animal is teaching people online a lesson in resilience. Punch, known as Punch-kun in Japan, was born in July 2025 at Japan’s Ichikawa City Zoo. Punch proceeded to carry that orangutan — nicknamed “Ora-mama,” per the Independent — with him everywhere, even as he attempted to connect with fellow monkeys. Videos of Punch and his stuffed orangutan friend went viral. According to the Ichikawa City Zoo, Punch is doing much better socially.

Source: Punch February 19, 2026 21:04 UTC