Ichikawa City Zoo has given fans an update on how Punch the baby monkey is doing as he continues to integrate with his new troop
Ichikawa City Zoo has given an update on everyone’s favourite baby monkey.
If you’re yet to stumble across a video of a little Japanese macaque called Punch and his stuffed orangutan toy mother yet, you must be living under a rock, or maybe you’re just not chronically online.
The internet has gone wild and become very maternal over the viral baby primate, who was rejected by his mother at birth after he was born in July last year.
Punch was raised by zookeepers through hand-rearing and has been living with the monkey troop since January 19 of this year, keeping his teddy with him at all times for comfort.
However, things haven’t exactly gone smoothly as videos have circulated on social media of Punch being ‘bullied,’ aka thrown around and pushed by the other monkeys in the troop.
Although zookeepers have reassured that this is nothing to worry about, explaining that ‘although Punch has been scolded many times by other monkeys, no single monkey has shown serious aggression toward him,’ people on social media are still worried and are regularly checking in on the animal.
Now, as we say, the zoo has issued an update on the macaques, including Punch, after concern has been raised over ‘the health conditions of the Japanese macaques and the environment of the facility’.
Particularly, people have noticed that some of the animals have suffered hair loss.
In a statement shared on X on Wednesday (25 February), a spokesperson for the zoo said: “A lot of visitors are currently coming to the zoo to see baby monkey, Punch. Many of them ask us about the health of the Japanese macaques, and we would like to explain their current condition and our plans. A few macaques in the troop exhibit significant hair loss, or alopecia.”
The keeper explained that ‘many visitors have expressed concern about this issue,’ however, the ‘amount of food they receive and their weight are appropriate according to a veterinarian’s diagnosis, and no clear sickness is evident’.
“We believe the main cause is excessive grooming habits. To improve this issue and promote healthy group life, three staff members have been working together since June 2025 to develop approaches and conduct testing,” the statement added.
Addressing the ‘various opinions concerning the environment of the monkey mountain,’ the post continued: “Animal welfare is the top priority in the current environment, and we are doing our best to improve the monkeys’ living conditions.
“Four rooms are always open at the back, which is invisible to visitors, and Punch also uses this space to hide.
“Also, many of the trees provided for environmental enrichment have become excellent play tools, especially for the young monkeys, including Punch. We are always seeking the best ways to imrpove the environment. However, Punch is currently trying to integrate with the troop.”
The zoo outlined that making a ‘radical change’ to the monkey mountain environment would upset the macaques and ‘may lead to Punch being bullied’.
“For this reason, we would like to prioritize Punch becoming a member of the troop safely while improving the monkeys’ health conditions as much as possible,” the statement concluded.
The spokesperson signed off with: “By observing the conditions, we can implement measures to improve the environment for Japanese macaques on the monkey mountain. We ask for your continued support for Punch and the other troop monkeys.”
Stories like Punch’s highlight growing public interest in zoo animal welfare standards, veterinary care costs, wildlife conservation programs, and ethical animal management practices. As zoos worldwide face increased scrutiny, discussions around animal health monitoring, habitat enrichment investments, and wildlife protection funding continue to gain importance. Supporters are encouraged to follow official updates and rely on verified information when evaluating animal care practices.
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