The Viral Baby Monkey: Punch

An abandoned baby monkey went viral online after being spotted hugging an orangutan plushie given to him as a substitute for his mother. Punch-kun, a baby Japanese macaque at the Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan, went viral after a video was posted showing him dragging around and playing with the monkey toy that the zookeepers gave him. The zookeepers gifted the newborn Punch the plushie after he was rejected by his mother right after birth. This gave Punch comfort and a sense of belonging, and now he takes it everywhere he goes.

During the first few months of his life, he struggled to bond with the other monkeys in his zoo's enclosure and had only the company of his human keepers and a plushie to rely on. But fortunately, recent videos online show he was given a hug by one monkey and was seen grooming others, a key part of macaque socialization. He was also seen getting help from other monkeys after he fell into a pond. Previously, seven month old Punch was seen being dragged aggressively by an adult monkey before running off to hide behind a rock.

The zoo released an official statement about the clip, stating that it occurred when the mother thought Punch had upset her infant after he was trying to communicate with the adult monkey's baby. Contrary to the "bullying" claims followed by the viral clips, the zookeepers insisted that no other monkey showed serious aggression towards him. The zookeepers support Punch's behavioral development rather than trying to overprotect him, saying, “When you observe these disciplinary behaviours from other troop members towards Punch when he tries to communicate with them, we would like you to support Punch’s effort rather than feel sorry for him.”