Ichikawa City Zoo said, “When you see this kind of disciplinary action against Punch by other members, please do not sympathize with him, but support Punch’s efforts.”
Watch the dramatic viral video where Punch gets ‘scolded’ by an older monkey
According to the Ichikawa City Zoo, Punch, a monkey that has become a hot topic as a soothing stuffed animal, was seen being “scolded” by an older monkey.
Punch the Monkey can’t catch a break.
Punch, a baby monkey at the Ichikawa City Zoo, made headlines earlier this week for allegedly dragging a stuffed orangutan around his enclosure. According to the zoo’s website, the baby monkey was abandoned by its mother at birth and raised by zoo staff. This stuffed animal was given to Punch to help him overcome his loneliness. Social media users have been showering Punch with love in recent days, but a new video posted on Thursday, February 19, is leaving animal lovers in the lurch.
In the video, Punch is approached by a larger monkey and dragged several times around on the ground before he flees to a corner of his habitat to seek refuge with a stuffed orangutan. As the two monkeys scream, a collective gasp can be heard from the onlookers.
Watch the heartbreaking video of the punch being dragged
Zoo says in video Punch ‘shows resilience’
On Friday, February 20th, Ichikawa City Zoo released a statement on social media regarding the viral video. The zoo said that before the video was taken, Punch tried to communicate with another baby monkey in the habitat, but he was rejected. Punch was then confronted by an adult monkey. It was probably the mother of the baby monkey that Punch tried to contact. The zoo said in a statement that the mother believed the baby was irritated by the punch and became upset.
“Punch shows resilience and mental strength despite being scolded,” the zoo said in a statement. “When you observe this disciplinary behavior towards Punch from other members of the zoo as he attempts to communicate with them, we ask that you support Punch’s efforts rather than feel sorry for him.”
IKEA Japan donates more stuffed animals to zoos
Punch’s favorite stuffed orangutan appears to be IKEA’s Djungelskog, which sells for $20 in stores and on IKEA’s website. On Tuesday, February 17, IKEA Japan President Petra Ferre visited the zoo and donated a bunch of stuffed animals, including Punch and other animals.
Various IKEA accounts around the world are capitalizing on Punch’s love for orangutans. On Monday, February 16, the official account of IKEA Spain
Punch Update: Despite new video, Abandoned Monkeys are making progress
Punch was born at the Ichikawa City Zoo on July 26, 2025, and was abandoned by his mother “soon after birth,” according to a translation on the zoo’s website. While the baby monkey’s relationship with the stuffed orangutan has been the talk of the internet, the zoo announced in a recent social media update that Punch is successfully communicating with other monkeys in his habitat.
The zoo said in a statement on February 6, “The monkeys are grooming themselves, playfully pecking others, being scolded, and experiencing a variety of other things every day, and are steadily learning how to live as monkeys in a group.”
In response to the spread of Punch, the Ichikawa City Zoo posted a notice on its website on February 20, asking visitors to be mindful of the facility’s small size and rules in the monkey observation house.
Greta Cross is USA TODAY’s national trends reporter. Story ideas? Email her at gcross@usatoday.com.
