An update on the lonely monkey known as Punch, from the Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan, has melted hearts among social media users. Footage of Punch clutching the toy has been viewed millions of times online and led to increased visitors to the zoo. Despite now having lots of adoptive moms among the other monkeys in the enclosure, Punch never lets go of his stuffed friend. But his actual best friend is not the toy either, it’s his handler, who many on social media have named “Punch Daddy.”“Am I deeply invested in Punch’s life? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.

Source: Punch February 24, 2026 04:30 UTC