Viral Punch the monkey mimic video goes viral as Mumbai Police and Delhi Police use it to promote 112 emergency helpline awareness online. Photos: X.
Punch The Monkey Video: The Mumbai Police has adopted a creative social media strategy to raise awareness about the national emergency helpline number 112, drawing inspiration from Punch, a viral baby monkey from Japan whose story has captured global attention online.
Punch, a Japanese macaque abandoned by his mother at birth, found comfort in a stuffed orangutan toy provided by zoo caretakers. His touching journey has since been widely shared across social media platforms, and authorities in India are now using his popularity to promote public safety messaging.
In a post shared on Instagram, Mumbai Police uploaded four images built around the familiar “three wise monkeys” philosophy, “See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil.”
The first three slides featured monkeys accompanied by the Hindi phrases “Bura Mat Dekho,” “Bura Mat Suno,” and “Bura Mat Kaho.” The final slide showed Punch cuddling his plush toy with the message “Bura Mat Karo” (“Don’t do bad”). The campaign included the hashtags #JustPunchIn112 and #WiseMonkeyAdvise to encourage people to remember the emergency number.
The awareness initiative is not limited to Mumbai. The Delhi Police also used Punch’s image in a recent social media post promoting the same helpline.
Their post featured an edited image showing a uniformed police officer walking beside the baby monkey, accompanied by the caption:
“Punch’s story reminds us, everyone needs someone & we’re always here for you. Dial 112.”
Punch is a baby macaque living at the Ichikawa City Zoo in Ichikawa, located about 20 miles east of Tokyo in Japan. Born on July 26, he was abandoned by his mother immediately after birth and has since been raised by zoo staff.
To help the infant cope with isolation during his early days, caretakers provided him with a stuffed orangutan toy. Images and videos of Punch cuddling the plush companion quickly went viral, generating millions of views and widespread affection from online audiences.
Punch continued to trend online after a video surfaced showing him being dragged by another adult monkey in his enclosure, an incident that concerned many viewers. However, zoo authorities reassured followers through multiple updates that the young macaque was gradually adjusting to his environment and interactions with other monkeys.
In a post on X dated February 23, the zoo reported positive developments, noting that Punch had been seen playing with other baby monkeys and eating independently without caretaker assistance.
“He’s continuing to do well!” the update stated.
Another video shared on February 25 showed Punch taking shelter from rain beside an older monkey, with the person posting the clip describing the moment as “So cute!”
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
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