ASEAN Beat | Society | East Asia | Southeast Asia

Punch the Monkey is a Viral Star, but Does his Internet Fame Have a Dark Side?

Animal rights activists say that viral online content about animals like ‘Punch-kun’ has the potential to drive the illegal wildlife trade. 

IKEA’s Djungelskog orangutan stuffed toy, which was made famous by the baby macaque ‘Punch-kun’ at the Ichikawa City Zoo.

Seven-month-old monkey Punch has become an unexpected viral sensation after footage of the baby macaque showed him clinging to a stuffed orangutan toy given to him by staff at Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan in February.

Punch-kun, as he is known in Japan, was abandoned by his mother last year and zookeepers sourced an alternative to the usual mother-child bond, giving him the orangutan plushie instead. This elicited widespread sympathy online and spawned the hashtag #HangInTherePunch.

Since then, social media users have followed daily updates about his struggles and triumphs, with sympathy turning to concern after new footage emerged of Punch being allegedly bullied by other members of the macaque troop, including the sweet primate being dragged around his enclosure by feisty older monkeys.

For their part, keepers at the zoo have tried to downplay the rough interactions, issuing a statement describing them as a normal part of the integration process and urging calm from Punch’s supporters.

“Please support Punch’s efforts. While Punch is scolded, he shows mental strength and resilience”, the zoo said in an unprecedented press release.

According to reports, hundreds of visitors have been visiting Punch daily, shouting messages of support.

“I studied his pictures in advance, so that I could recognize him,” one super-fan said.

Why are we so obsessed with Punch?

“While the story is simple, its emotional impact is profound,” The Better Cambodia explained.

“People see in Punch not just an animal seeking comfort, but a reflection of a shared experience that crosses cultures and species. His journey has become a gentle reminder that loneliness is not confined to humans, and that the desire to belong is one of life’s most fundamental needs.”

Across the globe, Punch has spawned myriad similarly soul-searching articles from “We are all Punch the monkey” to “Why Punch the monkey updates, rejection hit us so hard.”

Back in Japan, due to the ongoing daily crowds, the zoo has had to designate a no-go zone at the macaque viewing area so that the animals do not get unduly stressed by the constant noise and visitors. All this raises questions about whether Punch’s fame could be becoming a double-edged sword.

Where once this was a story of plucky Punch’s plight integrating into the wider macaque troop, now there are questions about animal rights, the outdated role of zoos, and fears that Punch could suffer the same fate as other viral animal stars like Moo Deng, the pygmy hippopotamus in Thailand who endured a similar meteoric rise to fame only to become increasingly mired in scandal.

Moo Deng, which means “bouncy pork” in Thai, shot to fame in 2024 due to her upbeat personality and wide smile, which was captured on video by visitors to her home at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi, Thailand. Dubbed “the people’s pygmy princess,” she was described as a “moist, ungovernable hippo” who combined “the aesthetic of a potato and the iron will of a toddler.”

Amongst her other claims to fame, Moo Deng also accurately predicted the winner of the U.S. presidential election in 2024 by choosing to eat a fruit and vegetable cake with Donald Trump’s name on it over that of Kamala Harris – causing an alleged backlash from Democrats online.

While her perceived political affiliations caused a minor stir, Moo Deng had been relatively uncontroversial until ire began to grow that her enclosure was dirty and inhumane.

Now similar questions have been raised about Punch, with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) releasing a statement regarding his wellbeing entitled “Don’t Let Punch the Monkey Become the New Moo Deng: Why Internet Fame is Bad for Captive Animals”.

“[Moo Deng] had nowhere to hide and barely enough water to swim in. When the online hype died down, so did the lines to her enclosure—but she was still trapped in the same barren pit,” the statement said.

“Punch doesn’t need viral fame – he needs peace. If Ichikawa City Zoo truly wanted to help animals, it could start by protecting the habitats of local species, leading rewilding projects, and supporting meaningful conservation efforts instead of profiting off a vulnerable animal’s pain.”

Amongst those accused of cashing in on Punch’s fame are Swedish furniture retail company IKEA, the maker of his orangutan toy named Djungelskog, who heavily marketed the plushie through a number of online campaigns and a donation of stuffed toys to Ichikawa Zoo.

The Djungelskog orangutan is now reportedly sold out in Indonesia, Japan, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, and Australia.

It is not just PETA that has concerns about the dark side of Punch’s fame.

The Sumatran Orangutan Society also released a statement, “Why The Internet’s Obsession with Punch is a Problem,” arguing that online content about animals can fuel the illegal wildlife trade.

“People are more likely to want a primate as a pet if they see it in a domestic, cute, or funny setting. By portraying vulnerable monkeys and apes as gentle and friendly, this increases the desire to own them as pets,” it said.

“We can see this happening already with Punch. People offering to ‘buy him’ or queuing for hours just to see him, demonstrates a demand for macaques as pets. The value of these primates will spike and in turn, so will the illegal wildlife trade.”

In an unexpected turn of events, Punch reportedly caught the eye of Tristan Tate, brother of social media influencer and self-proclaimed “misogynist” Andrew Tate, who offered to buy Punch for $250,000.

The dual British-American nationals have faced a number of both criminal and civil legal issues in multiple countries, including Romania, the United Kingdom and the United States, on charges of rape, human trafficking and organized crime, leading to backlash from Punch’s supporters who deemed them undesirable foster parents.

The Tate brothers aside, Punch’s 15-minutes of fame begs the question, what will happen when the crowds disperse and the world inevitably moves on?

As with so many viral stars before him, Punch’s prospects do not seem particularly promising but, perhaps the best we can hope for is a wider discussion around the ethics of platforming animals held in zoos and that the macaque may one day be rehoused in a facility better equipped to deal with his needs.

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Seven-month-old monkey Punch has become an unexpected viral sensation after footage of the baby macaque showed him clinging to a stuffed orangutan toy given to him by staff at Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan in February.

Punch-kun, as he is known in Japan, was abandoned by his mother last year and zookeepers sourced an alternative to the usual mother-child bond, giving him the orangutan plushie instead. This elicited widespread sympathy online and spawned the hashtag #HangInTherePunch.

Since then, social media users have followed daily updates about his struggles and triumphs, with sympathy turning to concern after new footage emerged of Punch being allegedly bullied by other members of the macaque troop, including the sweet primate being dragged around his enclosure by feisty older monkeys.

For their part, keepers at the zoo have tried to downplay the rough interactions, issuing a statement describing them as a normal part of the integration process and urging calm from Punch’s supporters.

“Please support Punch’s efforts. While Punch is scolded, he shows mental strength and resilience”, the zoo said in an unprecedented press release.

According to reports, hundreds of visitors have been visiting Punch daily, shouting messages of support.

“I studied his pictures in advance, so that I could recognize him,” one super-fan said.

Why are we so obsessed with Punch?

“While the story is simple, its emotional impact is profound,” The Better Cambodia explained.

“People see in Punch not just an animal seeking comfort, but a reflection of a shared experience that crosses cultures and species. His journey has become a gentle reminder that loneliness is not confined to humans, and that the desire to belong is one of life’s most fundamental needs.”

Across the globe, Punch has spawned myriad similarly soul-searching articles from “We are all Punch the monkey” to “Why Punch the monkey updates, rejection hit us so hard.”

Back in Japan, due to the ongoing daily crowds, the zoo has had to designate a no-go zone at the macaque viewing area so that the animals do not get unduly stressed by the constant noise and visitors. All this raises questions about whether Punch’s fame could be becoming a double-edged sword.

Where once this was a story of plucky Punch’s plight integrating into the wider macaque troop, now there are questions about animal rights, the outdated role of zoos, and fears that Punch could suffer the same fate as other viral animal stars like Moo Deng, the pygmy hippopotamus in Thailand who endured a similar meteoric rise to fame only to become increasingly mired in scandal.

Moo Deng, which means “bouncy pork” in Thai, shot to fame in 2024 due to her upbeat personality and wide smile, which was captured on video by visitors to her home at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi, Thailand. Dubbed “the people’s pygmy princess,” she was described as a “moist, ungovernable hippo” who combined “the aesthetic of a potato and the iron will of a toddler.”

Amongst her other claims to fame, Moo Deng also accurately predicted the winner of the U.S. presidential election in 2024 by choosing to eat a fruit and vegetable cake with Donald Trump’s name on it over that of Kamala Harris – causing an alleged backlash from Democrats online.

While her perceived political affiliations caused a minor stir, Moo Deng had been relatively uncontroversial until ire began to grow that her enclosure was dirty and inhumane.

Now similar questions have been raised about Punch, with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) releasing a statement regarding his wellbeing entitled “Don’t Let Punch the Monkey Become the New Moo Deng: Why Internet Fame is Bad for Captive Animals”.

“[Moo Deng] had nowhere to hide and barely enough water to swim in. When the online hype died down, so did the lines to her enclosure—but she was still trapped in the same barren pit,” the statement said.

“Punch doesn’t need viral fame – he needs peace. If Ichikawa City Zoo truly wanted to help animals, it could start by protecting the habitats of local species, leading rewilding projects, and supporting meaningful conservation efforts instead of profiting off a vulnerable animal’s pain.”

Amongst those accused of cashing in on Punch’s fame are Swedish furniture retail company IKEA, the maker of his orangutan toy named Djungelskog, who heavily marketed the plushie through a number of online campaigns and a donation of stuffed toys to Ichikawa Zoo.

The Djungelskog orangutan is now reportedly sold out in Indonesia, Japan, Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, and Australia.

It is not just PETA that has concerns about the dark side of Punch’s fame.

The Sumatran Orangutan Society also released a statement, “Why The Internet’s Obsession with Punch is a Problem,” arguing that online content about animals can fuel the illegal wildlife trade.

“People are more likely to want a primate as a pet if they see it in a domestic, cute, or funny setting. By portraying vulnerable monkeys and apes as gentle and friendly, this increases the desire to own them as pets,” it said.

“We can see this happening already with Punch. People offering to ‘buy him’ or queuing for hours just to see him, demonstrates a demand for macaques as pets. The value of these primates will spike and in turn, so will the illegal wildlife trade.”

In an unexpected turn of events, Punch reportedly caught the eye of Tristan Tate, brother of social media influencer and self-proclaimed “misogynist” Andrew Tate, who offered to buy Punch for $250,000.

The dual British-American nationals have faced a number of both criminal and civil legal issues in multiple countries, including Romania, the United Kingdom and the United States, on charges of rape, human trafficking and organized crime, leading to backlash from Punch’s supporters who deemed them undesirable foster parents.

The Tate brothers aside, Punch’s 15-minutes of fame begs the question, what will happen when the crowds disperse and the world inevitably moves on?

As with so many viral stars before him, Punch’s prospects do not seem particularly promising but, perhaps the best we can hope for is a wider discussion around the ethics of platforming animals held in zoos and that the macaque may one day be rehoused in a facility better equipped to deal with his needs.

Aisyah Llewellyn is a British writer based in Indonesia and a columnist for The Diplomat.

Illegal wildlife trade

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