Baby monkey Punch to get his own book
A book telling the story of Punch is set to be released in Japan, Qazinform News Agency reports.
The book, titled Keep Going, Punch: The Story of a Baby Monkey’s Growth, is scheduled to go on sale on November 26, 2026.
Punch lives at the Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan. His biological mother was unable to care for him, so zookeepers raised the young macaque by hand. During this period, Punch became attached to a stuffed orangutan named “Oran Mama,” which effectively served as his surrogate mother.
His story later attracted attention around the world as zoo staff documented his attempts to join the zoo’s macaque group. Donations associated with Punch have exceeded 70 million yen, or about $445,000, as of August 30, 2026, according to Japanese educational publisher Gakken.
The 48-page book was produced with the full cooperation of the Ichikawa City Zoo. It will feature photographs, a picture-book-style account of Punch’s development based on stories from his keepers, and educational material about the behavior and biology of Japanese macaques.
More than 10,000 photographs taken by zoo staff were considered for the publication, with selected images showing Punch clinging to Oran Mama, growing up and eventually interacting with other monkeys after joining the group.
Interest in the book proved higher than expected. Gakken temporarily suspended online pre-orders on September 17 after receiving an unexpectedly large number of reservations. Orders resumed the following day.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Punch celebrated his first birthday on July 26.
