A Japanese zoo caring for a baby monkey who has become an internet sensation was forced to issue a statement denying he was being bullied, following an outpouring of concern online.
Punch, a seven-month-old baby macaque, was abandoned by his mother and shot to stardom after he began clinging to a plush orangutan toy from IKEA for comfort at Ichikawa City Zoo outside Tokyo.
But after the zoo posted on X last month that Punch "had been scolded many times by other monkeys", videos showing him being chased by members of the troop were spread online, alongside claims that he was being bullied.
"As a result, we have received many voices of concern from people both in Japan and overseas," the zoo said in a statement Tuesday.
The zoo added that Punch was becoming less reliant on the stuffed orangutan toy because increasing numbers of monkeys were looking after or playing with him.
"While dominant individuals may show disciplining actions toward their subordinates, as macaques do naturally, these actions in the macaque society 'differ from human abuses'," it said.
"Punch spends most of the day peacefully," the zoo added.
The zoo also warned that "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".
Spurned by its mother, Punch was raised in an artificial environment after being born in July, and began training to rejoin his troop earlier this year.
Punch's predicament sparked huge interest online, spawning a devoted fanbase under the hashtag #HangInTherePunch, as large crowds thronged the zoo, and sales of his IKEA orangutan toy boomed.
However, animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said Punch's plight has highlighted the cruelty of zoos and called for his relocation to a "reputable sanctuary, where he could live in a more natural environment".
