At the Ichikawa Zoo in Japan, a monkey named Punch was abandoned by his family and bullied by the other monkeys in his enclosure; there was only one thing that brought him joy.
Punch is a Seven month old Snow Monkey, after he was abandoned by his family, the other monkeys started to bully him. The Zookeepers gave Punch the viral IKEA Orangutan stuffed animal. He was abandoned by his mother due to Punch being her first child. Zookeepers have also stated that it could have been due to the heatwave that was occurring in Japan at the time, which caused his mother to be in a stressful environment. Monkeys put their own health first; they believe it’s better to continue reproducing rather than caring for an infant who has poor health. The day after Punch was born, the Zookeepers of the zoo took him in and cared for him by giving him milk and food.
The Orangutan was given to Punch shortly after his birth. He goes to his monkey when he is scared, sad, anxious, and so much more. Before Punch was given his Orangutan, he didn’t want to leave the zookeeper’s side. He would constantly run back to them over and over to stay away from the other monkeys.
Punch the Monkey is currently doing very well; the other monkeys in his enclosure are finally treating him with kindness. As Punch continues to grow, he has become braver when facing the other monkeys. Zookeeper, Shunpei Miyakoshi, stated, “He still uses it when he feels it’s necessary – like when he’s going to sleep, or when he’s been disciplined by an adult monkey and feels a bit down – he goes to it to calm himself down.” Miyakoshi also stated that Punch is now hugging and playing with the others.
Punch’s internet “craze” started after videos were posted of him being bullied by the other monkeys in his enclosure. The internet showed so much empathy toward the poor monkey and showed so much love. Punch doesn’t know it but he is loved by the whole world.
https://www.rd.com/article/everyones-talking-about-punch-the-monkey/
https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/14/asia/japan-punch-monkey-makes-friends-intl-hnk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punch_(monkey)
