Punch, the orphaned monkey who won hearts around the world after heart-melting videos of him carrying a stuffed animal, were shared on social media, finally seems to be making friends. 

The baby monkey, who lives in a Japanese zoo, went viral last month after he appeared to seek comfort in a plush toy monkey after being rejected by other macaques in his enclosure. 

Since then, the trending hashtag #HangInTherePunch has brought hundreds of visitors to to Ichikawa City Zoo, near Tokyo to catch a glimpse of the lonely monkey. 

But recent images show that Punch is finally integrating with other monkeys after he was spotted cuddling with another macaque. 

Pictures shared on Tuesday show the young monkey being embraced by another monkey, while other images show Punch socialising with the other animals in his enclosure. 

Punch was born last July and was hand-reared after he was neglected by his mother.

He joined the monkey enclosure at the zoo early this year, with his companion toy provided by the zookeepers for comfort. 

Japanese baby macaques cling to their mothers to feel safe and to build up their muscles, according to zookeeper Kosuke Shikano. 

Punch the monkey finally seems to be making friends after he was photographed being cuddling by another macaque at Ichikawa Zoo

Punch appears to gather together with the other monkeys at the Japanese zoo 

The baby monkey was rejected by his mother last year 

The zoo looked for an alternative, such as a towel or different soft toy, but Punch chose the long-legged orangutan.

‘This stuffed animal has relatively long hair and several easy places to hold,’ Shikano said. 

‘We thought that its resemblance to a monkey might help Punch integrate back into the troop later on, and that’s why we chose it.’

Punch has rarely been seen without it since, dragging the cuddly toy everywhere even though it is bigger than him, delighting fans who flocked to the zoo ever since he went viral. 

Shikano thinks Punch’s mother abandoned him because of the extreme heat in July when she gave birth.

Punch has had some differences with the other monkeys as he has tried to communicate with them, but zookeepers say that is part of the learning process and he is steadily integrating with the troop. 

And last week, zookeepers assured fans that Punch had gradually been integrating with the other monkeys. 

But some fans were worried by a widely shared video showing Punch being dragged and scolded by an adult monkey. 

Rejected baby monkey Punch-Kun clings to the zoo keeper and eats his food in Ichikawa city.

Six-month-old Punch the monkey, who lives in a Japanese zoo, has shot to fame on social media

Heart-melting pictures show him cuddling a plush toy monkey following his mother’s desertion of him shortly after birth

In a statement, the zoo asked members of the public to ‘support Punch’s efforts’ to socialise as his troop has not shown any serious aggression.

‘While Punch is scolded (by other monkeys), he shows mental strength and resilience,’ it said.