The Ichikawa City Zoological and Botanical Garden in Japan, home to the viral baby monkey Punch, responded to online claims that Punch is “being bullied.”

In a new statement shared via X on Wednesday, March 11, zoo officials addressed “concerns” from fans of Punch.

The statement began by referencing a video shared to the zoo’s X account last month, where Punch is seen being dragged by an adult monkey, who was likely the mother of an “annoyed monkey” with whom Punch tried to interact.

“Although Punch has been scolded many times by other monkeys, no single monkey has shown serious aggression toward him,” the zoo said when previously addressing the incident. “When you observe these disciplinary behaviors from other troop members toward Punch when he tries to communicate with them, we would like you to support Punch’s effort rather than feel sorry for him.”

The zoo noted in Wednesday’s statement that it has received concern that the video shows Punch “being bullied” by other monkeys.

The statement explained that Punch and other Japanese macaques “follow a strict hierarchical society, and dominant individuals show ‘disciplining actions’ toward their subordinates.”

“These behaviors differ from human ‘abuses,’ ” the zoo wrote, adding that Japanese primatologists have been studying native monkeys for nearly 80 years, and that the behavior seen in the video “is not limited to Punch’s group.”

Zoo officials claimed that Punch spends most of his days “peacefully” and without incident outside of the “disciplinary” actions that have been caught on video and gone viral online.

“The number of monkeys who look after or play with Punch is also increasing. Because of this, the time Punch spends away from his stuffed toy has increased,” the statement continued.

Some of the monkeys accused of bullying Punch who have “demonstrated aggression more frequently,” were removed from the habitat as a “temporary measure” on March 8, the zoo said.

The zoo shared that a team of three veterinarians checks on the health condition of all animals, including Punch, on a daily basis.

“At this time, there has been no evidence that Punch has been attacked in a way that would threaten his survival. Furthermore, we have no intention of ignoring the ‘discipline’ or altering our care in order to attract sympathy from people and thereby increase the number of visitors to our zoo or increase profits,” the zoo added.

While noting that the online desire to have Punch separated from the troop is “understandable,” the zoo stressed the importance of Punch adjusting to his environment.

“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,” the zoo explained.

“We share your concerns about Punch, 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,” the statement concluded.

Punch, who was abandoned by his mother after his birth in July 2025, was raised by zoo caretakers during his first few months of life. The little macaque was given an orangutan stuffed animal to keep him company, which became a close companion to the monkey when he later joined the other macaques at the zoo and struggled to make new friends.

Heartfelt clips of Punch cuddling with his plush companion and interacting with the other macaques have propelled the tiny monkey to viral stardom and have led to an increase in foot traffic at the baby monkey’s zoo.