Punch fans are lining up to see the monkey at zoo in Japan
See Punch fans line up to see the viral baby macaque
A large crowd gathered at Ichikawa City Zoo to see Punch, the baby macaque who won hearts online.
People are racing to see Punch the monkey, a baby macaque, at a Japanese zoo.
A huge line of monkey fans was spotted about 18 miles outside of Tokyo at the Ichikawa City Zoo on Sunday, Feb. 22, hoping to catch a glimpse of the little guy and his beloved stuffed IKEA orangutan.
Pearl Rigas, a Punch supporter, went to see the monkey after he went viral, according to Storyful.
“He was so cute and everything you see online is real,” she said.
According Booking.com, Punch’s fandom is driving U.S. travelers to Ichikawa. Data gathered by the travel site shows that travel searches to Ichikawa have increased 214% year over year.
Watch video of fans lining up to see Punch the monkey
Who is Punch?
The monkey has won the hearts of people around the world after videos of him carrying the stuffed animal went viral. Zookeepers gifted Punch the toy as a way for him to cope after being abandoned by his mother shortly after his birth in July.
After becoming an international sensation, IKEA donated additional stuffed orangutans to the monkey to support him.
“Just like the zookeepers, we sincerely hope that Punch will soon become comfortable in an environment with the other monkeys and no longer need the soft toy,” IKEA said in an emailed statement to USA TODAY.
The internet rushed to Punch’s defense earlier this month after a video of him being aggressively dragged around in circles by an adult monkey went viral. Despite the incident, Rigas said she didn’t observe any of the other monkeys being mean to the baby.
Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected]
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