Baby monkey Punch to celebrate first birthday

Punch, a plush-clutching Japanese baby monkey that has become a global online sensation, will celebrate his first birthday on Sunday as his zoo is flooded with fan letters from around the world. Abandoned by his mother and spurned by some peers, the young macaque shot to stardom after he was seen clinging to a plush orangutan toy from IKEA for comfort at Ichikawa City Zoo outside Tokyo. He is growing well, in good health and is now playing with others, zoo official Takashi Yasunaga told AFP on Friday.

“He is less and less turning to the orangutan doll. He is communicating with other animals and playing with other baby monkeys,” he said. He is building his position as a member of the group.

The zoo, which previously saw at most a few hundred visitors a day, became a hotspot for thousands of local and international fans. The facility has also been inundated with calls and emails — some praising its efforts but many others criticising how Punch is kept. Ahead of Sunday, some 2,500 birthday cards from around the world were put on display.

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“Punch was all over TikTok. Videos just kept coming up. He’s just so cute.

And my girlfriend loves him. I love him,” American tourist Sarren Eilers said on Friday.

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