Images of him being bullied by his enclosure-mates, retreating to safety and clinging to a plushie look-alike for comfort won hearts around the world.

But finally, Punch the monkey is fitting in.

And his zookeeper has told CNN that the seemingly rough videos that alarmed Punch’s global legions of fans are just part of growing up for the seven-month-old macaque, who lives at Japan’s Ichikawa City Zoo.

The pint-sized primate has found new friends and is relying less on the orangutan stuffed toy given to him as a substitute for his mother, Shunpei Miyakoshi said, during CNN’s recent visit to the zoo.

“Now he’s communicating with other monkeys and it’s great to see him reaching those milestones,” he said.

He said Punch now hugs and plays with other monkeys, a stark contrast to previous heart-wrenching online clips showing how he was tackled and chased away by his own kind.

The zoo said in a social media post that some higher-ranking members of the troop, who “have demonstrated aggression more frequently,” had been temporarily removed from the enclosure earlier this month.

But the keeper said even those behaviors were considered normal in the world of the Japanese macaque, and peers are trying to teach Punch the hierarchy of their society.

“Japanese macaques tend to be physical because, unlike humans, they don’t have languages taught to them… If they were being serious, they would bite much more aggressively,” he said.

He also said widely shared videos capturing rough encounters only account for a few minutes of Punch’s day.

But the road to full integration remains long. During CNN’s recent visit to the zoo, the baby monkey was spending most of his time alone.

Videos popping up on social media occasionally show hairy moments. In one clip, Punch was wrestled to the ground by an older peer, causing him to run frantically to his plushie for emotional support.

“He still uses it when he feels it’s necessary – like when he’s going to sleep, or when he’s been disciplined by an adult monkey and feels a bit down – he goes to it to calm himself down,” said Miyakoshi.

“He’s been doing his best to grow, learning from those early experiences.”

Visitors from around the world, including K-pop star Lisa from Blackpink, are flocking to the zoo to catch a glimpse of the internet star.

Some say Punch’s story strikes a personal chord.

Nasser Hashem, from the U.S., planned a trip to Japan with his sister just to see Punch.

“I think we all could relate to him to some sense being in an unfamiliar environment, not knowing the people around you, and then just trying to fit in as much as we can,” he said.

Melanie Fortier, also from the U.S., said she just couldn’t pass up the “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity to see the baby monkey.

For her, Punch gives hope at a time when negative news fills her social media feed.

“When you see something like an animal coming up – just hopefulness, and just they have nothing but care and love to give – it is refreshing sometimes and a breath of fresh air,” she said.

因被同伴欺负而只能抱着毛绒玩偶寻求安慰的小猴Punch，曾触动无数人的心弦。

如今，这只小猴终于融入了群体。

这只七个月大的猕猴生活在日本市川市动物园，其饲养员向CNN表示，那些看似粗暴的视频，只是它成长过程中一部分。

据宫越俊平透露，Punch已结交新伙伴，对猩猩玩偶的依赖也有所减少。

“现在它能和其他猴子交流了，看到这些成长里程碑，真是太棒了。”

据他介绍，如今Punch会与同伴拥抱玩耍，与网上流传的那些被扑倒、驱离的画面形成鲜明对比。

动物园此前曾在社交媒体上发布消息称，已将部分攻击性较强的高等级成员暂时移出猴舍，

但饲养员强调，这类行为在猕猴世界中是学习群体等级的正常方式。

“日本猕猴用身体接触交流。如果它们真咬，会凶狠得多。”

他还提到，那些走红的视频，只记录了Punch一天中短暂的片段。

尽管如此，融入之路仍然漫长。CNN最近一次探访时发现，这只小猴多数时间仍独自待着。

社交媒体上偶尔还会出现一些令人揪心的视频片段。在一段视频中，Punch被一个年长的同伴摔倒在地，吓得它飞快地跑向自己的毛绒玩偶寻求情感安慰。

饲养员说：“当它沮丧或需要入睡时，还是会抱着玩偶平静下来。它一直在努力成长。”

世界各地的游客纷至沓来，韩国明星Lisa也曾到访。

有人说，Punch的故事引起了他们的共鸣。

来自美国的纳赛尔·哈希姆专程和妹妹来日本看Punch。“我想我们都能理解它的感受 — 身处陌生环境，只能努力适应。”

同样来自美国的梅拉妮·福捷表示，她实在不愿错过这个“千载难逢”的机会去看小猴子。

对她而言，在全球负面新闻充斥社交媒体推送的当下，Punch带来了希望。

她说：“当你看到像动物这样的生命出现时 — 那种纯粹的希望，它们所能给予的只有关怀与爱 — 有时会让人感到耳目一新，仿佛呼吸到新鲜空气。”

(Translated by DeepSeek)