Rejected At Birth And Bullied, Punch The Monkey Now Protects Zoo's Newest Babies

Once rejected at birth and bullied, Punch the monkey is now growing, flourishing, and even looking after the younger babies in his troop. Punch first went viral earlier this year after his mother abandoned him shortly after he was born. Pushed aside by the senior monkeys, little Punch was forced to seek solace in an orangutan plushie.

In one of the videos going viral, Punch can be seen gently playing with and watching over a younger baby macaque, making sure his own rough start is not passed down to the next generation.

"Remember the little orphaned baby monkey Punch?" the user captioned the video, adding: "He carried his orange stuffy with him and was getting bullied by all the other monkeys. His story went viral. Punch is all grown up now and has taken on a little one and watches out for him. Whatever you are going through, whatever is hurting you, learn from it and then be someone's lifeline."

Highlighting how far Punch had come, a video posted by Ichikawa City Zoo on Sunday (Nov 8) showed him in an upbeat mood, playing and jostling with other monkeys, who tenderly look after him as well. The zoo added that Punch was living a healthy and vibrant life with his tribe.

"Here is Punch today, captured by one of our keepers. The condition of Punch and all the other animals, changes from day to day. Our keepers provide care through constant observation and interaction, and they also adjust feeding routines based on the season and the weather. It is thanks to this dedicated care from our staff that Punch is able to live such a healthy, vibrant life," the zoo said.

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Punch's Popularity

Punch became an internet sensation in February after the zoo posted photos of him with a large orangutan plush toy when he was rejected by his mother. Punch's early attempts to fit in failed as other monkeys either ignored him or behaved violently. Punch's only comfort was his plush toy that a member of staff gifted him as a tool for muscle building and maternal replacement.

As Punch's story went viral, tourists from around the world started visiting the Japanese zoo to catch a glimpse of the little macaque. The zoo also addressed claims that Punch was being bullied by the aggressive macaques, adding that monkeys follow a strict social hierarchy where dominant monkeys use "disciplining actions" toward subordinates.