"Punch", a 6-month-old Japanese Macaque, was abandoned by his mother at birth. His keepers at the Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan had hand raised him since then, giving him a stuffed Orangutan to help combat his "anxiety and loneliness" after he struggled to find acceptance with the other monkeys at the zoo.

The zoo in Japan which is home to the viral monkey has spoken out after he was abandoned by his mother and attacked in shocking footage

Ichikawa City Zoo has issued a statement after a viral video showed baby Japanese monkey Punch being dragged across the ground by another monkey.

After online backlash over footage of a young monkey appearing distressed, the zoo outlined the context behind the encounter, describing it as a routine social correction and urging the public to view the situation as part of natural group adjustment rather than mistreatment.

A baby monkey named “Punch” is struggling to find acceptance in his macaque enclosure in a Japanese Zoo, and the internet is fully on his side.

Punch, the abandoned monkey who soared to fame after being seen tugging around a stuffed toy, was filmed seeking comfort with the plushie after he was beaten by older monkeys at Ichikawa Zoo in Japan

This sad story started in July 2025, when Punch the monkey was born. Sadly, his biological mother rejected him, which would have been a death sentence for the macaque in the wild. Thankfully, keepers at Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan were on hand to help.