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Punch the monkey may have been abandoned by his peers, but he found a place in our hearts

WBUR | By Here & Now Newsroom
Published February 27, 2026 at 11:51 AM EST
This photo taken on February 19, 2026 shows a 7 month-old male macaque monkey named Punch, who was abandoned by his mother shortly after birth, spending time with a stuffed orangutan toy at Ichikawa City Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Chiba Prefecture. (Jiji press/AFP via Getty Images)
Jiji press/AFP via Getty Images
This photo taken on February 19, 2026 shows a 7 month-old male macaque monkey named Punch, who was abandoned by his mother shortly after birth, spending time with a stuffed orangutan toy at Ichikawa City Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Chiba Prefecture. (Jiji press/AFP via Getty Images)

Have you spent the week checking social media for updates on how Punch the macaque monkey is doing? Well, if so, you aren’t alone.

Here & Now’s Peter O’Dowd talks with Michelle Del Rey, a trending news reporter at USA Today, about how and why Punch has captured our hearts and attention.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2026 WBUR
Here & Now Newsroom