Punch Monkey — punch monkey melts hearts after rejection and unlikely friendship
In a zoo outside Tokyo, a seven-month-old macaque named Punch has become an international sensation after being abandoned by his mother shortly after birth. The punch monkey clings to a stuffed orangutan given to him by zookeepers and has pulled heartstrings worldwide, Stephanie Sy reports.
Punch Monkey and his toy
Abandoned by his own mother shortly after birth, Punch was handed a stuffed animal by zookeepers at Ichikawa City Zoo. Never mind that the orangutan is a different species — he's hardly let go of it since. Watch as baby Punch is dragged around like a chew toy, escaping to the comfort of his protector, using him for cover.
Shelter, comfort, and rejection
Staff and visitors describe the scene as a story of rejection, vulnerability, and the animal instinct for companionship. Kosuke Shikano, Zookeeper (through interpreter), said: "This soft toy has quite long fur and several easy places to hold. And it looks like a monkey. We thought that it looking like a monkey might help Punch integrate back into the troop later on. " The sequence — abandonment, provision of a toy, and Punch's constant clutching of it — has been plain to see at the zoo.
Crowds, commerce and a hashtag
Videos of the punch monkey have sparked an outpouring of love and sympathy. He has plenty of friends on TikTok; #HangInTherePunch has gone viral. The spectacle has drawn massive crowds to the zoo, and there is a run on the stuffed animal at Ikea.
Expert views and troop reaction
Miyu Igarashi, Nurse (through interpreter), said: "He's become such an idol-like figure already, so I hope he stays lively and continues being an idol. " Alison Behie, a primatology expert at Australian National University, cautioned that the toy "is not by any means a replacement for a mother, and it's not going to give the animal the attachment that it sort of needs in order to develop. But it does give sort of an avenue to retreat to that might in the moment reduce those stress responses a little bit, allowing him to feel a little bit less of that anxiety and stress. " Behie also said the other monkeys' ornery attitude toward Punch tracks with those concerns.
Transcript and donation note
"And now a lighter story to end the week, " the segment opens. The broadcast includes a donation appeal: "Your generous monthly contribution— or whatever you can give—will help secure our future. " Notice is also given that transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy, and that they may contain errors. Stephanie Sy reports on the unfolding attention centered on Punch at Ichikawa City Zoo.
For now, Punch remains tightly attached to his stuffed orangutan, drawing visitors and debate in equal measure as staff monitor his integration with the troop.
