The zoo looked for an alternative, such as a towel or different soft toy, but Punch chose the long-legged orangutan. Punch's predicament sparked sympathy online, spawning a devoted fanbase who began posting updates on the monkey under the hashtag #HangInTherePunch. The baby monkey was raised in an artificial environment after being born in July, and began training to rejoin his troop last month. We rarely come to a zoo but we wanted to see cute Punch," said 32-year-old Sayaka Takimoto, who drove two hours with her husband to see the monkey. Some fans, however, were worried by a widely shared video showing Punch being dragged by an adult monkey.

Source: Punch February 20, 2026 14:04 UTC