TL:DR – Abandoned Baby Macaque Faces Bullying from Older Monkeys in the UK
- Punch, a six-month-old baby macaque from Ichikawa City Zoo, gained fame for his attachment to a stuffed Ikea toy.
- After being rejected by his mother, he faces challenges in the monkey pack, highlighted by a recent incident of bullying from older macaques.
- Despite setbacks, Punch shows resilience, drawing public support under the trending hashtag ‘HangInTherePunch.’
- Zookeeper Kosuke Shikano noted his strong mental character; however, survival without maternal guidance remains a concern.
Baby macaque abandoned by his mum is now being bullied by older monkeys | News World
A baby monkey who became famous for taking his cuddly toy everywhere faces a tough life alone.
Punch, a six-month-old baby macaque, has been living in a Japanese zoo since his birth in July when he was rejected by his mother.
The youngster became an Internet sensation after he was given a stuffed Ikea monkey toy for comfort, which he carries around with him everywhere at Ichikawa City Zoo.
He was pictured cuddling and sleeping on the orangutan toy, which remains bigger than little Punch, who still needs to be fed by zookeepers to grow.
Punch with his best friend, a stuffed Ikea orangutan toy (Picture: AFP/Getty Images)
However, during his short life, Punch has met another setback – meeting the fellow pack of monkeys.
Footage shows the baby monkey minding his own business, sitting next to the rocks in the enclosure.
Suddenly, one of the larger monkeys lunges at him and drags screeching Punch across the floor.
The little monkey was roughed up by fellow, much bigger macaques.
Punch, still screaming, is spun on the floor like a rag before he manages to slip away.
He manages to run to safety down the rocky path and seek shelter with his stuffed toy, while looking over his shoulder expecting the others to pounce on him.
The baby macaque appears to try to make himself as small as possible as he clutches onto the toy while the older monkeys circle him.
It appears the pack retreats, leaving little Punch alone again and picking on his fur.
The abandoned macaque has attracted a fanbase in Japan, with the hashtag ‘HangInTherePunch’ trending.
Zookeeper Kosuke Shikano, 24, told Mainichi that ‘even when scolded by other monkeys, he quickly recovers.’
Punch clung onto the leg of zookeeper Kosuke Shikano, who placed the stuffed toy on the ground (Picture: REUTERS)
Punch appears to be one of the youngest in the troop of macaques, and he has to fend for himself (Picture: REUTERS)
‘He’s mentally strong,’ he added.
Macaques, although highly adaptable animals, rely on social structures for survival, meaning they struggle to survive alone for long periods of time.
In the wild, they live in troops of up to more than 100 individuals.
Especially the animals raised without their mothers can have poor social skills, which would make their survival in the wild unlikely.