Punch-kun, a baby monkey born in captivity at the Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan, quickly went viral on social media showcasing videos of his bond with a stuffed animal.
Punch is a macaque monkey who was rejected by his mother shortly after birth. There is a bit of speculation surrounding why exactly his mom abandoned him.
In an interview with The Guardian, primatology expert Alison Behie cited the monkey being a first-time mother as a possible answer behind the abandonment. Another possible reason could be the conditions in which Punch was born, which was during an extreme heatwave, causing the mother to put herself first for survival.
In an attempt to ensure he was still building up his grip strength as a baby, the zoo supplied him with a stuffed animal to hold onto.
It also wanted to give him the best chance to eventually reintegrate himself into society with the other monkeys, so it gave him an orange orangutan plushie. His attachment to the plushie was made apparent across social media as video after video of him finding comfort in it got posted.
One of the first videos of him to go viral was where the other monkeys were establishing their dominance over him and throwing him around. Viewers online watched as Punch quickly ran towards his orangutan for comfort following the interaction.
In a translated statement posted to X on Feb. 27, the toy “not only stimulates clinging to a mother but also prevents excessive dependence on humans.”
The zoo’s website explained that Punch’s situation is not completely unique there, as in 2009, the zoo gave a baby monkey named Otome a yellow bear stuffed animal to cling onto. She was eventually successfully reintegrated into the monkey society and went on to have her own offspring and even raise them, unlike her own mother did.
However, in Punch’s case, it does not seem that the zoo’s goal of avoiding human dependence is working, as one worker in particular is now being coined as Punch’s “favorite human.” At every feeding time, Punch has been spotted sitting patiently outside the door through which the feeders come.
Once the door opens for feeding to begin, Punch jumps onto the leg of the same zookeeper every time and the keeper will hold onto his toy for him while he throws the food around.
Recently, Punch appears to be slowly reintegrating with the other monkeys by putting less reliance on his stuffed animal and making friends with some of the other young monkeys.
Because of Punch’s online virality, the zoo has had an influx in crowds there to catch a glimpse of him. Long queues began forming for him and more rules were put in place in order to keep the area as stress-free as possible for the monkeys in the enclosure.
The supplier of Punch’s orangutan, IKEA, has also been benefiting from his fame. It reported trouble with keeping the plushie in stock across all of their stores.
The way Punch is treated online is reminiscent of Moo Deng, the hippopotamus in Thailand who went viral back in 2024 after becoming an internet meme, and Pesto the penguin, who went viral later that same year.Despite the internet’s love for Punch, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has warned against turning animals in captivity into viral content on social media, quoting such actions as “tourist traps” that encourage some places to keep breeding animals in unnatural and harmful living conditions.
