'Punch' turns one, fans send thousands of birthday cards

Punch, the tiny Japanese macaque who captured the hearts of millions worldwide by clinging to an orange toy orangutan, has completed his first year of life. Thousands of birthday greetings have poured in from around the world ahead of his first birthday on Sunday.

Born at the Ichikawa City Zoological and Botanical Garden in Japan, Punch was abandoned by his mother shortly after birth. To preserve his natural clinging instinct after being separated from his exhausted mother, zookeepers gave him a plush cloth doll.

After six months of care, Punch was released into an enclosure with 50 other monkeys in January. Whenever other monkeys chased him, he would run and cling to his beloved toy. In February, a video of him doing just that went viral on social media, making Punch an overnight sensation.

Zoo director Takashi Yasunaga said approximately 2,500 birthday cards had arrived from home and abroad for Punch's first birthday. The cards are now displayed on the walls of the exhibition hall.

Kumi Isezawa, a resident of Kobe City, said her main goal was to see Punch after recovering from an illness. She noted that Punch is no longer the solitary baby monkey clinging to his toy; he now plays and socialises with other monkeys.

The little monkey whose survival companion was once a stuffed toy has now become a symbol of love for animal lovers worldwide.