Viral Claims About Monkey ‘Punch’ Being Bullied Prompt Response From Zoo

The zoo caring for Punch the monkey, a baby Japanese macaque who captured global attention online, has shared an update after concerns that he was being bullied by other monkeys. Punch lives at the Ichikawa City Zoological and Botanical Garden in Japan. His story went viral after a video showed the tiny monkey hugging a stuffed toy almost as big as he is. Zookeepers later explained that Punch had been rejected by his mother shortly after he was born last July. Without maternal care, he began clinging to the toy, which staff described as a “surrogate mother.”

Recently, another video showing Punch being dragged by an adult monkey raised concerns online. Some viewers feared he was being mistreated by the troop. In response, the zoo posted an update on X, explaining that the behavior seen in the video does not represent serious aggression. According to the zoo, macaques live in a strict social hierarchy, and dominant monkeys often discipline younger or lower-ranking members.
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