Il Nuovo Postiglione - Fans flock to Japan zoo to see viral baby monkey Punch

Six-month-old Punch became an internet sensation after footage of him clinging forlornly to zookeepers and dragging around a stuffed orangutan toy were widely shared on X.

Punch's mother, perhaps due to it being her first litter or reduced stamina from the summer heat, showed no interest in caring for her young, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported.

Punch's predicament sparked sympathy online, spawning a devoted Punch fanbase who began posting updates on the monkey under the hashtag #HangInTherePunch.

Earlier this month, Punch's situation began looking up when zookeepers at Ichikawa City Zoo, near Tokyo, posted that he was gradually integrating with a troop of monkeys -- "playfully poking others and getting scolded".

On Friday, more than 100 visitors gathered around the monkey enclosure at the zoo, straining to take photos and shouting "hang in there!" as Punch tried to approach others in the troop.

"We're here since this morning. We rarely come to a zoo but we wanted to see cute Punch," said 32-year-old Sayaka Takimoto who drove two hours with her husband to see the monkey.

The couple said they found social media posts of Punch carrying around the soft toy "adorable."

Another visitor, who gave her name as Yoko, said: "He's so cute, so I had to come see him."

"I studied his pictures in advance so that I could recognise him," the 50-year-old told AFP.

"It makes me a little sad he's growing so fast, but I'm relieved to see he's making friends."

M.Lombardi--INP