I can’t be the only one who got completely drawn into the story of Punch, the baby macaque who bonded with a stuffed toy after being abandoned by his mother.
Today, Punch continues to draw attention — especially as viewers follow his interactions with other macaques, which range from gentle to rough.
Now seven months old, experts in primate behavior are offering new insights into his heartbreaking story — including why he’s sometimes seen being “bullied” by other monkeys.
By now, many people have likely seen Punch, the baby macaque whose story has captivated the internet. The young monkey went viral after being filmed carrying and cuddling a stuffed animal nearly as big as he is inside his enclosure at Ichikawa City Zoo, east of Tokyo.
Zookeepers later revealed that the Japanese macaque had been rejected by his mother shortly after birth, in last July. With no maternal care, the infant began clinging to the plush toy, which staff describe as a kind of “surrogate mother.”
The touching footage quickly spread online, driving a surge in zoo visitors and even inspiring a parody on Saturday Night Live.
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