Monkey Punch went from being abandoned by his mother to being globally famous, now no longer lonely

Punch, a baby monkey at Ichikawa Zoo (Japan), attracted global attention when he was abandoned by his mother shortly after birth and only knew how to hug a stuffed animal to find a sense of safety among a larger herd of monkeys.

A baby monkey named Punch is becoming the focus of attention on international social networks after its story was widely shared. Punch was born in July 2025 at Ichikawa Zoo. According to information published in The Guardian, the animal quickly attracted public attention when caretakers decided to put an orangutan-shaped stuffed animal in the cage to keep it company after being abandoned by its mother.

With no mother by her side to care for and protect, Punch seems to find solace in this particular toy. In many videos circulating online, the baby monkey often hugs the stuffed animal tightly, especially when disturbed by larger individuals in the herd. That image made many people sad.

The first videos recorded Punch squatting alone in the barn, moving and hugging the toy. When pushed or dragged by larger monkeys, it still tries to hold the stuffed animal as a spiritual fulcrum. At one point, viewers felt somewhat more reassured when they saw another individual in the pack approaching, brushing their fur and patting Punch.

However, just a few days later, the situation does not seem to have changed much. Punch continues to be the target of teasing by the larger monkeys. In another video, an adult monkey pulls the baby monkey around before Punch rushes behind a rock and hugs the toy as if to find a sense of security.

These images make many people question why the mother monkey abandons her young immediately after birth. Alison Behie, a primate expert at the Australian National University, said the behaviour was uncommon but could still happen in certain cases.

According to her, the cause is often related to many factors such as age, health condition or inexperience of the mother monkey. She explained that Punch's mother gave birth for the first time, so she may not be used to caring for a young child. In addition, Punch was born at a time when the area experienced a heat wave, which made the habitat more stressful for the animal.

In situations under a lot of pressure from the environment, mother monkeys will sometimes prioritize protecting their own health and future fertility rather than continuing to raise a vulnerable young. This is considered a possible biological reaction in some primates.

After being abandoned by his mother, Punch has almost nothing to cling to. Staff at the zoo tried a variety of methods to help the baby monkey feel safer. Initially they rolled the towel with different thicknesses so that Punch could hug, but this option did not bring noticeable results. Eventually, they decided to put a stuffed animal shaped like a monkey in the cage.

Animal care worker Kosuke Shikano said: "Baby monkeys in Japan after giving birth will cling to their mother's body to develop muscles and create a sense of security. But because he was abandoned, Punch had no fulcrum."

He also added that the toy was chosen to resemble a monkey to make it easier for Punch to integrate into the herd in the future.

According to expert Alison Behie, the stuffed animal can act as an "attachment object", especially since Punch is only about 6 months old and is likely still in the stage of needing to be breastfed. She also emphasized that the behavior of other monkeys in the cage is not exactly bullying, but part of the process of social interaction.

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