It was one month ago that the world fell in love with Punch, the Japanese macaque monkey with an emotional support orangutan plushie from Ikea. Punch had a harrowing start to life: abandoned by his mom and their troop shortly after birth, and then bullied by the other monkeys in his new home at the Ichikawa Zoo. I think we all saw ourselves in those videos of poor Punch struggling to fit in with the pack. But then, a breakthrough — an adult monkey started grooming Punch! Which led to hugging! What a relief! By then we were all swinging our tails in excitement and shouting, “Punch is gonna be OK! Punch is gonna be OK!” So here we are one month later, and the caretakers at Ichikawa Zoo are responding to… new concerns over Punch being bullied AGAIN? How much is one lonely monkey expected to take??

“We have received many voices of concern from people both in Japan and overseas,” the Ichikawa City Zoo wrote on X (formerly Twitter) March 10. “At this time, there has been no evidence that Punch has been attacked in a way that would threaten his survival.”

Instead, the park clarified that Japanese macaque groups “follow a strict hierarchical society” in which “dominant individuals show ‘disciplining actions’ toward their subordinates.”

“These behaviors differ from human ‘abuses,’” the zoo continued. “These ‘disciplining actions’ do not occur incessantly, and Punch spends most of the day peacefully. The number of monkeys who look after or play with Punch is also increasing.”

And because of the monkey’s growing bond with other animals, the organization noted that he’s spending less time with his stuffed orangutan toy.

Noting that a team of three veterinarians check on the animals daily, the zoo went on to deny that they’re intentionally “ignoring the ‘discipline’ or altering our care in order to attract sympathy” or to increase visitors and profits.

In fact, the Ichikawa City Zoo is taking some steps to make sure Punch is protected.

“A few high-ranking macaques have demonstrated aggression more frequently, and we removed these macaques from the troop on March 8 as a temporary measure,” the organization said. “We plan to monitor them carefully in this condition for a while.”

But the zoo explained that it is not removing Punch from the enclosure, as fans have requested.

“This sentiment is completely understandable,” the statement read. “However, Punch has become accustomed to living in this troop, so separating him now would create the risk that he would never be able to return to the group and would have to continue living that way for the rest of his life.”

“We share your concerns about Punch,” it concluded, “and all the zookeepers and staff will continue to work together to ensure that Punch can continue to live a healthy life as part of this troop of monkeys.”

[From E! News]

“Japanese macaque groups ‘follow a strict hierarchical society’ in which ‘dominant individuals show disciplining actions toward their subordinates.’” With all due respect, that sounds like just the kind of talk that “upper” classes have spewed for centuries in order to maintain the status-quo and deter monkeys of “lower” class from seeking equality, justice, and friendship. The caretakers say that none of the bullying disciplinary action has threatened Punch’s survival, but what of his chance to thrive, I ask you! Has that not been dealt a stream of unrelenting assaults since this innocent boy’s birth? Whose side are you on, Ichikawa Zoo?! I’m starting to wonder if they named him “Punch” so that he could be the designated punching bag.

No no no, I embellish for dramatic effect. I have every faith the humans at Ichikawa Zoo are looking out for this little monkey. It’s just that I so very desperately want joy for the wide-eyed floof! We believe in you, Punch, and these rough patches will only make you more resilient and even more empathetic as you grow into an upstanding adult macaque. Who knows, maybe Punch will be the monkey who finally topples the hierarchy once and for all. And while nothing is likely to ever be as cute as Punch and his orangutan, starting Saturday we humans can order the next best thing: the Punch Jibbitz charm from Crocs. Run, don’t walk to the website.

Photos are screenshots from YouTube