Punch, a baby macaque born at the Ichikawa Zoo in Japan, became viral on the internet for his attachment to an orangutan soft toy. Being bullied by other macaques and having his mother abandon him at a very young age, Punch has gathered much empathy for his current situation. Are things finally looking up for this poor monkey? Let’s find out.

Punch’s mother abandoning him is no mystery, and more likely a reaction caused by biology. Born during a heat wave, when survival is the most prominent thought on an animal’s mind, Punch’s mother was most likely under stress and believing she had to sacrifice her child for her own life. While very sad, it’s understandable why Punch’s mom did what she did. The reason was not related to emotion.

Many clips have circulated of Punch being ridiculed by older macaques, leading him to turn to the stuffed animal he sees as his mother. He was excluded frequently from the rest of the animals in the enclosure. Ichikawa Zoo even issued a response about Punch on social media, mentioning how difficult it had been to integrate him with the rest of the monkeys especially when so much bullying and harassment was targeted towards Punch. 

This didn’t last for long, as more videos of him being groomed and comforted by other adult macaques surfaced. He has been slowly integrating with monkeys to play and have fun! Best of luck to Punch, and may he recover from all the hardships that lead up to this point.

Cites –

https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2026/02/20/the-entire-internet-is-rooting-for-punch-the-monkey/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/23/punch-monkey-japan-macaque-why-do-mother-animals-abandon-offspring 

\https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/japans-zoo-issues-statement-on-viral-punch-monkey-video-11113759

https://defector.com/the-mournful-ballad-of-punch-the-monkey