US EditionRights Group Slams Treatment of Viral Japanese Monkey
Over 5,000 visitors flocked to Ichikawa Zoo to see Punch, the abandoned baby macaque, as animal-rights groups call for his move to a sanctuary to ensure better care.
- On 24 Feb 2026, PETA urged Punch be moved to a sanctuary, saying `Zoos are not sanctuaries- they are places where animals are confined, deprived of autonomy, and denied the complex environments and social lives they would have in the wild`.
- A Feb 19, 2026, photo shows Punch, abandoned shortly after birth, clutching an IKEA orangutan at Ichikawa City Zoo, sparking viral sympathy.
- Crowds surged at the Ichikawa zoo, with fans queuing up to an hour and more than 5,000 visitors on Feb 23, while IKEA reported unprecedented interest and some markets ran out of the toy.
- The zoo responded by setting up a restricted zone to reduce stress and said on Feb 22 that Punch was meticulously groomed by two monkeys and is steadily fitting into the group.
- Punch's viral fame prompted the #HangInTherePunch community and donors requesting how to help, fueling animal-rights calls for sanctuary placement and broader zoo welfare debate.
45 Articles
45 Articles
The Punch monkey could be sent to sanctuary because of isolation sequels at the Ichikawa Zoo in Japan. Although Punch has begun to integrate with the herd, some organizations claim that the Japanese monkey suffers trauma.They ask to send Mono Punch to sanctuary because of isolation sequelsThe animal defense organization, PETA, asked on Tuesday February 24 that Punch be transferred to a sanctuary.PETA's argument is that Punch presents a trauma, a…
Perhaps, in recent days, you have seen the failed attempt to interact with a Macao kid within a zoologist in Japan. The Macaquinus, called Punch, has sensitive a façade legend with videos that have viralized on social networks showing him being maltreated, isolated and rejected by older primates. Punch, of seven months, was born in Ichikawa's zoologist last year, where he was rejected by his mother. The treatmentrs gave him an orange of pollutio…
Punch is seven months old, his mother abandoned him.
The zoo where Punch is located reported to have set up a restricted area around a part of the monkey enclosures, in order to reduce animal stress.
PETA said the fate of a Japanese-born monkey that became an internet sensation highlights the cruelty of zoos, while sales of a stuffed orangutan the animal once cuddled with have soared.
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