Maya Higa, a streamer and conservationist, has responded to videos circulating online that show adult monkeys roughly handling Punch, the baby macaque who became popular on the internet for his attachment to a stuffed animal.
Punch is a Japanese macaque born at Ichikawa City Zoo in July 2025. Sadly, his mother didn’t accept him, so zoo keepers raised him by hand. He became famous online when pictures showed him finding comfort in a stuffed orangutan.
Videos have surfaced showing a young monkey being introduced to a group of macaques, and some people are worried because the adult monkeys are seen grabbing and pulling him, leading to fears he’s being attacked.
2026.2.19木 ⑺
この日1番の衝撃😭
ここまでしなきゃなの😭
猿社会 なの？😭⑭10:30 怖かったよねパンチ😭😭#がんばれパンチ 頑張ってるのに😭#市川市動植物園
飼育員さん 何が起きたのこれ😭— 𝐶𝑜𝐶𝑜 ·̩͙꒰ঌ 𝐴𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑙’𝑠 𝑆ℎ𝑜𝑝 ໒꒱·̩͙ (@AngelsShop_CoCo) February 19, 2026
During a live stream, Alveus Sanctuary owner Higa, based in Texas, stated she wasn’t fully aware of the details of the situation, but explained that the behavior shown in the videos is common among primates interacting with each other.
I don’t have the full story about this monkey, but it looks like he was raised by humans and is now being introduced to a group of adult monkeys. There are videos circulating of him being playfully roughed up by the others.
Maya Higa responded to worries about Punch the Monkey, explaining that being playfully tossed around by other monkeys is typical behavior. She added, “I’m not sure if this will reassure people or cause more upset, but if the other monkeys wanted to harm him, they would have done much more damage.”
— bloom 𖧧 (@bloomjpg) February 21, 2026
If those monkeys had wanted to cause him serious harm, it would have been much more severe. Monkeys are naturally physical creatures, and that can be true whether they’re playing or being aggressive.
Higa explained that when a new monkey or ape joins an existing group, it usually leads to some conflict as they figure out who’s in charge.
These primates can be very aggressive towards each other, often physically fighting and wrestling. Because they have complicated social structures, introducing a new primate into the group is rarely easy.
The baby monkey looks upset, which is understandable since he’s so young and vulnerable. However, this kind of interaction is normal among primates. The older monkeys could easily harm him if they intended to.
Good news from the zoo! It looks like Punch is finally starting to bond with the other monkeys. They’re grooming him and actually making physical contact, which is a really positive sign he’s settling in. It’s awesome to see him starting to integrate with the group!
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2026-02-23 18:50