Ichikawa City Zoo has issued an official statement after a viral video showed baby Japanese monkey Punch being dragged across the ground by an adult monkey.
The footage, which spread rapidly on X on February 19, sparked concern from viewers who feared Punch had been seriously attacked while trying to socialize with the troop.
In the harrowing clip, Punch is seen near other monkeys before an adult macaque suddenly grabs and drags him several times. After breaking free, the baby monkey ran to his IKEA orangutan plush and clutched it while shaking.
Now, the zoo says the situation has been widely misunderstood.
According to the February 20 statement, Punch had approached another baby monkey “in an attempt to communicate,” but the other infant avoided him. After Punch sat down, an adult monkey scolded and dragged him around several times before he fled to the comfort of his plushie.
Keepers said the adult was “probably the mother of the monkey with whom Punch tried to communicate,” adding that she likely felt her baby was being annoyed by his presence and reacted in a disciplinary way so that he would run away.
The zoo stressed that Punch has been scolded many times before as part of the natural social process of integrating into the monkey troop.
“Although Punch has been scolded many times by other monkeys, no single monkey has shown serious aggression toward him,” the statement reads.
Keepers also clarified that the video was likely recorded on the morning of February 19 and that Punch behaved normally during feeding times. While the moment of Punch clutching his plush toy struck a chord with viewers, staff said this is typical behavior.
“In the video, Punch runs to his stuffed orangutan toy after being dragged. However, as usual, he left the stuffed toy after a short while and was communicating with other monkeys.”
The zoo also stressed that challenges like this are all part of efforts to integrate Punch into the group, so rather than feel sorry for him, they urged supporters to recognize his resilience.
“While Punch is scolded, he shows resilience and mental strength… we would like you to support Punch’s effort rather than feel sorry for him.”
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