Ichikawa City Zoo has responded to a video that circulated online showing a young Japanese macaque, named Punch, being pulled along the ground by another monkey. The zoo released an official statement addressing the incident.
A video quickly shared on X (formerly Twitter) on February 19th worried viewers, who thought Punch, a member of an animal troop, might have been badly hurt while attempting to interact with the others.
Okay, so I just watched this really upsetting video. There’s this little baby monkey, Punch, hanging out with some other monkeys, and then a bigger monkey just grabs him and starts dragging him around. It happened a few times! Luckily, Punch managed to get away and immediately ran over to his favorite thing – this orangutan plushie he has, like it’s from IKEA – and just held onto it, shaking. It was heartbreaking to watch, honestly.
Now, the zoo says the situation has been widely misunderstood.
Viral baby monkey zoo gives update
On February 20th, it was reported that Punch tried to approach a younger monkey to play, but the other monkey stayed away. After Punch settled down, an adult monkey reprimanded him and pulled him around before he ran off to cuddle his stuffed animal.
You know, the zoo staff think that adult monkey was probably the mom of the little one Punch was trying to talk to! They said she likely thought Punch was bothering her baby and was trying to shoo him away, like a mom would to get someone to leave her kid alone.
The zoo explained that Punch had been corrected numerous times, which is a normal part of helping him adjust to life with the other monkeys.
Despite being frequently reprimanded by the other monkeys, Punch hasn’t faced any truly aggressive behavior from them, according to the statement.
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
Zoo staff confirmed the video was probably taken on February 19th and that Punch ate normally that day. Although many viewers were touched by Punch holding his stuffed toy, keepers explained that this is something he often does.
In the video, Punch initially ran to comfort his stuffed orangutan after being pulled along. But, as he often does, he quickly lost interest and began interacting with other monkeys instead.
The zoo explained that difficulties like these are normal when introducing a new animal like Punch to the group. Instead of feeling bad for him, they asked people to appreciate his strength and ability to cope.
Even though Punch is getting in trouble, he’s handling it with courage and a strong spirit. We encourage you to cheer him on and support his efforts instead of pitying him.
I’ve been following Punch, this little monkey, and you can check out his story too! There’s an article where they’re posting all the updates on his search for a place to call home, so I’ll be keeping an eye on that to see how he’s doing.
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2026-02-20 15:19