Who is Punch? The viral baby monkey rallying the internet behind him

Abandoned by his mother, a baby monkey called Punch seeks comfort from his stuffed orangutan in a Japanese zoo; however, things are not looking good for the tiny macaque.

Being a tiny monkey without a mother to protect him, Punch has been a subject of constant bullying from his troop, causing an immense amount of support on the internet, with netizens ready to go to war for the baby monkey.

In the latest viral video, Punch could be seen turning to his plush toy for comfort after he was dragged by a much larger monkey.

Ichikawa Zoo shared a statement on Punch's viral video

On Friday, February 20, Ichikawa Zoo issued a statement, addressing the video of Punch getting attacked, where they shared that the adult monkey who "scolded and dragged" Punch was most likely the mother of a baby monkey, with whom Punch tried to communicate.

It was shared that Punch's attempt at socialising failed as the baby avoided him, and the viral baby monkey "then sat down, apparently giving up on communication with the monkey".

The statement noted, "While Punch is scolded, he shows resilience and mental strength. When you observe these disciplinary behaviours from other troop members towards Punch when he tries to communicate with them, we would like you to support Punch's effort rather than feel sorry for him."

Internets reaction to Punch's viral video:

While the zoo has shared a positive statement on the viral incident, the internet has been flooded with memes and reactions to the video of Punch, with many ready to fight anything and anyone for the baby monkey.

"My heart literally broke watching this. Punch deserves all the love and a forever safe troop. Protect this baby at all costs," one user on X noted.

"BOOKING A FLIGHT TO JAPAN RN," another X user reacted on the video with a crying TLC gif.

A third netizen echoed the sentiment, penning, "I think we as a people need to break in and free Punch and raise him ourselves."

"The feminine urge to quit my job, sew my own monkey suit, and dedicate my life to protecting Punch," a fourth netizen wrote in the comment on an Instagram post.

Punch was born in July 2025 and was abandoned by his mother shortly after birth. The zoo staff later cared for the baby monkey themselves and gradually introduced him to the rest of the macaques; however, he struggled to fit in.