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A baby monkey who became famous for taking his cuddly toy in all places faces a troublesome 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 teen became an Web sensation after he was given a stuffed Ikea monkey toy for comfort he carried around with him in all places at Ichikawa City Zoo.
He was pictured cuddling and sleeping on the orangutan toy, which stays greater than little Punch, who still must be fed by zookeepers to grow.
Nevertheless, during his short life, Punch has met one other setback – meeting the guy pack of monkeys.
Footage shows the newborn monkey minding his own business, sitting next to the rocks within the enclosure.
Suddenly, one among the larger monkeys lunges at him and drags screeching Punch across the ground.
Punch, still screaming, is spun on the ground like a rag before he manages to slide away.
He manages to run to safety down the rocky path and seek shelter along with his stuffed toy, while looking over his shoulder expecting the others to pounce on him.
The infant macaque appears to attempt to make himself as small as possible as he clutches onto the toy while the older monkeys circle him.
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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.’
‘He’s mentally strong,’ he added.
Macaques, although highly adaptable animals, depend on social structures for survival, meaning they struggle to survive alone for long periods of time.
Within the wild, they live in troops of up to maneuver than 100 individuals.
Especially the animals raised without their moms can have poor social skills, which might make their survival within the wild unlikely.
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