Japan’s Ichikawa City Zoological and Botanical Garden, where viral baby macaque Punch has been living after being abandoned at birth, has responded to online claims that the young monkey is repeatedly “being bullied”.
In a statement shared on X on Tuesday, March 10, the zoo addressed the growing concern from viewers and suggested it does not plan to step in based solely on what has been seen in clips circulating online.
The monkey troop hasn’t accepted poor little Punch. Adult males are trying to kill him. pic.twitter.com/2jiBnTOToT
— Ian Miles Cheong (@ianmiles) February 19, 2026
The comments follow a video posted to the zoo’s X account last month, which showed Punch being pulled along by an adult monkey. The zoo indicated the adult may be the mother of another monkey Punch had tried to approach, and described the interaction as typical troop behaviour rather than a dangerous incident.
“Although Punch has been scolded many times by other monkeys, no single monkey has shown serious aggression toward him,” the Zoo previously explained.
“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.”
Even with those reassurances, the zoo said it has continued to receive messages from people worried that Punch is being targeted by other macaques.
In its latest update, officials reiterated that Japanese macaques live within a rigid hierarchy, and that higher-ranking monkeys will sometimes correct or reprimand those lower in the group as part of normal social order.
“These behaviors differ from human ‘abuses,’ ” the zoo wrote.
The zoo also argued that videos shared online only capture brief moments, and said Punch’s day-to-day life is not defined by conflict. According to the statement, staff have been seeing more monkeys spending time with him in non-aggressive ways.
“The number of monkeys who look after or play with Punch is also increasing. Because of this, the time Punch spends away from his stuffed toy has increased,” the statement continued.
However, the zoo acknowledged that some animals linked to the concerns were temporarily separated from the enclosure on March 8.
It added that three veterinarians monitor the troop every day, and said there are currently no injuries that would put Punch’s life at risk.
“At this time, there has been no evidence that Punch has been attacked in a way that would threaten his survival. Furthermore, we have no intention of ignoring the ‘discipline’ or altering our care in order to attract sympathy from people and thereby increase the number of visitors to our zoo or increase profits,” the zoo added.
ご一読いただけると幸いです。
パンチが「いじめられている」とされる動画について
Regarding the videos reportedly showing Punch “being bullied”#市川市動植物園#がんばれパンチ pic.twitter.com/l5s80fCuwG— 市川市動植物園（公式） (@ichikawa_zoo) March 10, 2026
While thanking the public for its concern, the zoo emphasised that keeping Punch within the troop is important for his long-term wellbeing and social development, rather than removing him because of uncomfortable-looking moments.
“Punch has become accustomed to living in this troop, so separating him now would create the risk that he would never be able to return to the group and would have to continue living that way for the rest of his life,” the zoo explained.
“We share your concerns about Punch, and all the zookeepers and staff will continue to work together to ensure that Punch can continue to live a healthy life as part of this troop of monkeys,” the statement concluded.
Punch was initially cared for by zookeepers during the first months of his life after being abandoned soon after birth in July 2025, according to the zoo.
To help soothe him, staff provided a stuffed orangutan toy, and images of the infant clinging to the plush have since spread widely online and attracted a large following.