Japan zoo shares heartbreaking new update on Punch the viral monkey and I’m crying

The zoo in Japan where the now-famous Punch the monkey lives has shared a sad update on everyone’s favourite baby Japanese macaque.

Punch first went viral a few weeks ago after a photo of the young snow monkey holding an orangutan teddy took over the internet. He was abandoned by his mum and raised by staff at the Ichikawa City Zoo near Tokyo, who gave him the orangutan plushy from IKEA to keep him company and socialise him.

In a new update posted on Twitter on Wednesday, the zoo has shared that Punch still hasn’t integrated with the rest of the monkeys. I’m heartbroken.

“A lot of visitors are currently coming to the zoo to see baby monkey, Punch. Many of them ask us about the health of the Japanese macaques, and we would like to explain their current condition and our plans. A few macaques in the troop exhibit significant hair loss, or alopecia,” they said.

Credit: Ichikawa City Zoo/Twitter

“We believe the main cause is excessive grooming habits. To improve this issue and promote healthy group life, three staff members have been working together since June 2025 to develop approaches and conduct testing. Animal welfare is the top priority in the current environment, and we are doing our best to improve the monkeys’ living conditions.”

The zoo explained there are four rooms at the back of the enclosure that Punch uses to “hide”. My heart!

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“Also, many of the trees provided for environmental enrichment have become excellent play tools, especially for the young monkeys, including Punch. We are always seeking the best ways to imrpove the environment. However, Punch is currently trying to integrate with the troop,” they continued.

They revealed that making a “radical change” to their envirionment could “lead to Punch being bullied”. I can’t cope with this.

“For this reason, we would like to prioritize Punch becoming a member of the troop safely while improving the monkeys’ health conditions as much as possible,” the zoo concluded. Punch must be protected at all costs.

2時間ほど前の投稿の英語の一部(grooming)に
スペルミスがありましたので再度投稿します。

ニホンザルの健康状態と施設環境について
Regarding the health conditions of the Japanese macaques and the environment of the facility#市川市動植物園#ニホンザル#がんばれパンチ pic.twitter.com/6FpJ0KHzXk

— 市川市動植物園（公式） (@ichikawa_zoo) February 25, 2026

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Credit: Ichikawa City Zoo/Twitter