You know that feeling when you see something online and your heart just cracks wide open? That’s what’s happening right now with Punch, a tiny Japanese snow monkey whose story of abandonment, an

An orphaned baby monkey whose attachment to a stuffed toy captured hearts around the world is slowly finding acceptance among his own kind — offering a hopeful update to a story that has drawn millions of supporters online.

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A young Japanese macaque has won the hearts of millions on the Internet after viral videos show the animal bringing around his “comfort” stuffed orangutan toy. Videos of the monkey,

A baby monkey has received an outpouring of sympathy after footage showed him being bullied by a much bigger adult.

After a clip of orphaned macaque Punch being pulled by other monkeys spread online, his Japanese zoo said the behavior reflects normal social learning within the troop.

Legions of fans from around the world have been cheering on Punch, a 7-month-old macaque who had been struggling to socialize at a zoo outside Tokyo.

Videos of Punch clinging to his stuffed companion spread rapidly online. The emotional turning point came when footage showed the baby monkey being bullied by other monkeys in the troop, prompting a global wave of support. Some fans even traveled to Ichikawa City Zoo to see Punch in person. The response caught staff off guard.

For once, there’s good news in animal conservation. A population of Tonkin snub-nosed monkeys ( Rhinopithecus avunculus )—critically endangered primates with colorful faces and big lips—is stable.

Abandoned, bullied and left to figure things out on his own, Punch found an unlikely friend - an IKEA orangutan plushie - and has now stolen the internet's hearts. View on euronews