Punch the monkey can't catch a break.
Punch, a baby macaque at Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan, went viral earlier in the week for dragging a stuffed orangutan around his enclosure. The baby monkey was abandoned by his mother at birth, the zoo's website says, and was raised by zoo staff. The stuffed animal was given to Punch to help him cope with loneliness. Social media users have poured an abundance of love on Punch the past few days, but a new video posted on Thursday, Feb. 19 has animal lovers in distress.
In the video, Punch is approached by a larger monkey that drags him on the ground in several circles before Punch is able to run to a corner of the habitat to take shelter with his stuffed orangutan. As the two monkeys scream out, a collective gasp can be heard from onlookers.
On Friday, Feb. 20, Ichikawa City Zoo shared a social media statement about the viral video. Before the video was recorded, Punch attempted to communicate with another baby monkey in the habitat but was rejected, the zoo said. Punch was then confronted by an adult monkey – likely the mother of the baby monkey Punch tried to interact with. In the statement, the zoo said the mother may have thought her baby was annoyed with Punch, which upset her.
