Punch the monkey has become a worldwide sweetheart after videos of him hanging on to his stuffed toy friend after being rejected by his own mother and facing bullying by other monkeys went viral.
A Japanese macaque, Punch was born at Japan’s Ichikawa Zoo in July 2025. Soon after his birth, his mother left him, and other monkeys at the zoo also started picking on him.
The poor soul was then given a stuffed orangutan toy by the zookeepers to keep him some company.
He Held On To His Stuffed Friend
In the absence of his mother, the little primate turned to his new best friend for comfort. Since then, several videos have emerged which show him dragging the toy around the enclosure and playing with it.
These videos also show other older monkeys chasing him away in the enclosure and sometimes even dragging him around violently. The little primate, however, can be seen holding on to his toy friend even when he was facing the brutalities.
The visuals have since gone viral, with Punch emerging as an internet darling. Millions of people have reacted to the videos and expressed love for him. The company which manufactures these toys has reported a global sellout of the particular stuffed orangutan toy.
Even Google also picked up on the trend and changed the search page for Punch the monkey. On typing Punch the monkey, it shows bright, graffiti-style hearts cascading across the screen.
Why Do Mother Animals Sometimes Abandon Their Young
Punch’s videos, while evoking kindness and empathy among millions of internet users, have also raised some questions. One such prominent question is, “Why do mother animals abandon their offspring sometimes?”
Primatology experts have suggested that while such behaviour is largely uncommon, sometimes mothers leave behind their offspring due to various reasons such as age, health, and inexperience.
A possible factor in Punch’s case could have been inexperience, an expert told The Guardian. According to the zoo, she was a first-time mother and this could have contributed to her abandoning Punch.
“Zookeepers also suggest Punch was born during a heatwave, which would be a high-stress environment. In environments where survival is threatened from outside stress, mothers may prioritise their own health and future reproduction rather than continue to care for an infant whose health may be compromised by those environmental conditions.”
