Abandoned Baby Monkey Punch and His IKEA Toy Win the Internet

A macaque monkey named Punch has an international legion of fans after videos of the 7-month-old being bullied by other monkeys and rejected by his mother went viral in recent weeks.

Punch was born in July at Ichikawa City Zoo and Botanical Garden, east of Tokyo in Chiba Prefecture. His mother abandoned him at birth and the other macaques in the enclosure gave him the cold shoulder as well. His only companions were the human caretakers and a stuffed animal – a Djungelskog brand orangutan plushie from IKEA.

Images posted on social media of Punch lugging, hugging, and curling up with the plushie has made the macaque internet famous, reminiscent of Moo Deng the pygmy hippo. As with Moo Deng, the zoo has had to limit the crush of visitors now yearning to see Punch live.

It is unclear why Punch’s mother rejected her baby. The zookeepers believe it is because the birth was difficult for the first-time mom, and that the baby was born on a very hot day. After being introduced to the main monkey enclosure in January, Punch was rebuffed – and a little bullied – by the other monkeys. But in the past week or so, more benign interactions with his peers have been observed, including grooming and huddling together.

According to Takashi Yasunaga, head of the Ichikawa City Zoo and Botanical Garden division, Punch is gradually acclimating. The young monkey has “an active and fearless personality,” Mr. Yasunaga tells the New York Times in an email, and will “proactively try to communicate with other monkeys.”

The baby monkey’s story isn’t endearing to everyone. “Punch’s viral videos aren’t heartwarming, they’re heartbreaking,” animal rights org PETA posted on X. “NEVER like or share these videos, & don’t visit in person! When you do, it entices facilities like Ichikawa Zoo to breed more babies as tourist attractions.”

The plushie is a hit too: “Over the past few days, we have seen a clear increase in sales of the Djungelskog orangutan toy, particularly in Japan, the US and South Korea,” IKEA said in a statement.

Photo credit: Ichikawa City Zoo via X