Ichikawa Zoo has released a statement addressing the video of ‘Punch’ being dragged by an older monkey.
Six-month-old Punch became an internet sensation after videos showed him clinging to zookeepers and dragging around a stuffed orangutan toy.
His mother reportedly showed no interest in caring for him, and since baby macaques rely on their mothers for safety and strength, the zoo offered alternatives. Punch chose the long-legged orangutan toy because it was easy to grab — and perhaps because it looked like a monkey.
His story touched hearts online, with fans rallying behind him under the hashtag #HangInTherePunch.
WATCH VIDEO OF PUNCH BEING DRAGGED:
WATCH – Heart wrenching scene: Little Punch was bullied again by a bigger monkey, who dragged her harshly across the ground. She cried and ran back to clutch her adoptive mother doll for comfort pic.twitter.com/ZWI56eCgnk
— Insider Paper (@TheInsiderPaper) February 19, 2026
STATEMENT BY ZOO ON PUNCH BEING DRAGGED BY AN OLDER MONKEY
February 20, 2026
Regarding “the video of Punch gets dragged around” that appeared to have been recorded yesterday, February 19.
This is a statement from the zookeepers at the Ichikawa City Zoological and Botanical Gardens.
We have confirmed that several videos have gone viral on the internet. When Punch approached another baby monkey from the troop in attempt to communicate, the baby monkey avoided him. Punch then sat down, apparently giving up on communicating with the monkey, after which he was scolded and dragged by an adult monkey.
The adult monkey that dragged Punch is probably the mother of the monkey with whom Punch tried to communicate. She probably felt that her baby was annoyed by Punch and got upset, expressing “don’t be mean.”
Punch has been scolded by other monkeys many times in the past and has learned how to socialize with them.
In the video, Punch runs to his stuffed orangutan toy after being dragged. However, as usual, he left the stuffed toy after a short while and was communicating with other monkeys.
The video was probably recorded on the morning of February 19. During feeding time at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m., Punch acted no differently than on any other day.
In order to integrate Punch into other Japanese monkey troops, we anticipated that this kind of challenge may arise. Although Punch has been scolded many times by other monkeys, no single monkey has shown serious aggression toward him.
While Punch is scolded, he shows resilience and mental strength. When you observe these disciplinary behaviors from other troop members toward Punch when he tries to communicate with them, we would like you to support Punch’s effort rather than feel sorry for him.
Ichikawa City Zoological and Botanical Gardens
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