Meet Punch, the baby monkey captivating hearts worldwide

His name in Punch and his story has captured the hearts of millions around the world. But who is he and what's his claim to fame?

Punch is an abandoned baby monkey, rejected by his mother shortly after he was born. He was then given a stuff orangutan plush to comfort him and his story has taken social media by storm!

Reports state that during the first few months, Punch, a Japanese macaque from Ichikawa City Zoo, he had a hard time bonding with the other macaque monkeys at the zoo.

In one of the many clips circulating on the internet, Punch can be seen trying to play with the little monkeys at the enclosure. It doesn't go too well and an older monkey drags him away, believed to be an adult mom in the group.

In a statement, the zoo explained that the older monkey in fact scolded and dragged the little Punch away.

The zoo added that Punch has been scolded several times by older monkeys and he is learning to socialise with them.

"In order to integrate Punch into other Japanese monkey troops, we anticipated that this kind of challenge may arrive. Although Punch has been scolded many times by other monkeys, no single monkey has shown serious aggression.

"While Punch is scolded, he shows resilience and mental strength," the zoo said.

Clips of Punch and his plush toy have tugged at the heartstrings of social media users, causing an influx of visitors to the Ichikawa City Zoo.

IOL