Sri Lanka, Feb. 20 -- Six-month-old Punch became an internet sensation after footage of him clinging forlornly to zookeepers and dragging around a stuffed orangutan toy was widely shared on X.

Punch's mother, perhaps due to it being her first litter or reduced stamina from the summer heat, showed no interest in caring for her young, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported.

Japanese baby macaques cling to their mothers to feel safe and to build up their muscles.

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

"It was easy for him to grab," a zookeeper told Fuji TV.

"Maybe he also liked (that) it looked like a monkey."

Punch's predicament sparked sympathy online, spaw...