Does Punch the monkey have a girlfriend? Viral footage suggests he might have met his match

Wake up, there's a new Punch update - and it seems love is in the air...

The cute baby monkey first went viral after people learned that he was abandoned by his mother seven months ago and has since been cared for by the zookeepers at the Ichikawa City Zoological and Botanical Gardens in Japan.

But the little guy melted our hearts even further when the video made the rounds of Punch being attacked by an older monkey, with his source of comfort being his IKEA cuddly toy orangutan nicknamed 'Ora-mama'.

Getty

The zoo responded to concerns online in a statement at the time, "While Punch is scolded, he shows resilience and mental strength. When you observe these disciplinary behaviors from other troop members toward Punch when he tries to communicate with them, we would like you to support Punch's effort rather than feel sorry for him."

Since then, all of us have been checking up on Punch for any new updates, and some of these include him learning to walk on two legs, waving, and being less reliant on his cuddly toy orangutan.

So what's new with Punch?

Now, in the latest update, it seems Punch has found a companion.

Footage has gone viral of him side by side and cuddling with a female macaque believed to be named Momo-chan, Daily Mail reported.

Getty

Of course, the internet is sharing its delight for this positive Punch update that the monkey appears to have found love.

One person wrote, "Punch now has a girlfriend. Aweeeeeee!"

"Punch found a girlfriend and you’re still single," a second person wrote.

A third person posted, "Punch found a girlfriend. Punch 1 – Me 0."

"Now Punch has a girlfriend. He chose one the same color as his plushie," a fourth person commented.

Elsewhere from Indy100, Punch the monkey who captured hearts has finally made some friends, and Punch the monkey has just learned this adorable trick.

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.