Viral Baby Monkey Punch Attracts More Than Average Visitors to Japanese Zoo, Over 11,000 People Already Visited

Viral baby monkey Punch-kun has taken the internet by storm. A seven-month-old macaque monkey residing at Ichikawa City Zoo, Japan, has attracted more than average visitors. On Thursday morning, the Japanese zoo drew more than four times its usual number of visitors, around 900 people. 

For the unversed, Punch was abandoned by his mother shortly after birth in July last year at Ichikawa City Zoo in Chiba prefecture. Since then, he has been raised by the zookeepers through bottle-feeding and was given a stuffed orangutan from IKEA as a substitute for his mother. The other monkeys bullied him. However, the recent viral clips show him grooming fellow mates, a typical socialization behaviour of macaques. 

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Viral Baby Monkey at Ichikawa City Zoo, Japan, Gathers Large Crowds

According to reports, Ichikawa City Zoo reportedly in Japan saw more than 11,000 visitors over two days after Punch-kun, a baby Japanese macaque, went viral online. On February 22, over 6,000 people visited, and about 5,200 came the next day. Lines stretched up to two hours,… pic.twitter.com/fopqdT9NAX — Complex (@Complex) February 26, 2026

Videos of baby monkey Punch from the Japanese zoo went viral on social media, drawing many comments expressing heartbreak and sympathy. As per the latest update shared by the authorities, on February 22, over 6,000 people visited, and about 5,200 came the next day. Queues stretched up to two hours, and parking filled early. As a result, the staff had to limit entry to manage the large crowds. 

Zookeepers assured the public and netizens that although Punch has been bullied and scolded by other monkeys, none of them has shown serious aggression toward him. A spokesperson stated, “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.“