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The heartbreaking story behind viral baby monkey Punch – and what it teaches us about attachment

The heartbreaking story behind viral baby monkey Punch – and what it teaches us about attachment

Abandoned by his mum, baby macaque Punch has found comfort in a toy. Experts explain why it matters.

CHIBA, JAPAN - FEBRUARY 20 : Baby monkey named 'Punch' is seen with a stuffed animal at a zoo on February 20, 2026, in north of Tokyo, Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Abandoned by his mother at birth, the monkey found comfort with a stuffed animal.

David Mareuil/Anadolu via Getty Images

Published: February 23, 2026 at 1:25 PM

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A baby monkey clinging tightly to a stuffed toy has captured hearts around the world. But behind the viral videos of Punch, a young Japanese macaque at Ichikawa City Zoo, lies a powerful story about comfort, connection and what little ones really need to feel safe.

Born last July, Punch was abandoned by his mother shortly after birth. Without her, he has struggled to integrate into his troop and has been filmed being chased and dragged by older monkeys inside the enclosure. In response, zookeepers gave him a plush orangutan toy to cling to, and footage of him hugging it for reassurance has since spread globally.

While the scenes are emotional to watch, experts say Punch’s behaviour reflects something deeply rooted in both animal and human development.

Why Punch was given a toy

Baby Japanese macaques automatically try to grip on to their mother after birth as an evolutionary response to build muscle strength. But because Punch was abandoned by his mum, he didn't have anyone to cling on to.

After Punch was rejected, zookeepers tried rolling towels to different thicknesses for him to grip. Eventually they introduced a stuffed orangutan, because zookeepers thought the familiar image might help him integrate back into his troop when he was a bit older.

Primatology expert Alison Behie from Australian National University told the Guardian that abandonment in macaques is unusual but not unheard of. She said Punch's mother may have rejected him for a few reasons:

She was a first-time mother and so inexperienced in what to do
Punch was born during a heatwave, creating a high-stress environment for the mother, who may have chosen her own health over caring for a baby who might not survive the heat

The toy Punch has may be serving as an attachment figure, especially given he is six months old so likely still needs to be nursed.

Alison Behie, primatology expert at Australian National University

Is Punch being bullied?

Clips of Punch being dragged in a circle by a larger monkey and running to hide behind a rock have upset many viewers. However, Behie says the behaviour seen is typical macaque social interaction.

She explained that Japanese macaques live in strict matrilineal hierarchies, where higher ranking families assert dominance over lower ranking ones. Even with his mother, Punch would probably still face aggression.

However, without maternal guidance, there may be longer term implications.

Some members of a monkey troop are expected to submit to more dominant members, but Behie said that without his mother, Punch might not learn this and so not develop the skills to integrate into the group as an adult.

This photo taken on February 19, 2026 shows a 7 month-old male macaque monkey named Punch, who was abandoned by his mother shortly after birth, sitting with a stuffed orangutan toy at Ichikawa City Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Chiba Prefecture.

JIJI PRESS / AFP via Getty Images

The science behind comfort and attachment

Writing in The Conversation, Mark Nielsen, associate professor of psychology at The University of Queensland, has drawn associations between Punch’s attachment to his soft toy and psychologist Harry Harlow’s 1950s experiments with rhesus monkeys.

In his studies, Harlow removed newborn rhesus monkeys from their mothers and raised them with two surrogate 'mothers' One was made of wire and included a feeding mechanism that provided milk. The other was a soft doll wrapped in terry towelling, offering no food at all - just comfort.

At the time, most psychologists believed babies formed attachments purely because caregivers provided basic needs such as food and shelter.

If that theory were correct, the baby monkeys would have spent most of their time with the wire 'mother' that fed them.

But they did not.

Instead, the monkeys overwhelmingly chose to cling to the soft, cloth-covered surrogate. They would briefly go to the wire figure to feed, then return to the comforting one.

Harlow's findings became central to modern attachment theory, which emphasises that emotional warmth and responsiveness are fundamental to healthy development.

How this shaped modern attachment theory

Harlow’s research challenged the idea that attachment was simply about nourishment. It showed that emotional security plays a central role in forming bonds.

Attachment theory, which developed further in the decades that followed, proposes that children thrive when they are securely attached to a caregiver. That security comes from consistent care, attentiveness, warmth and kindness.

Without that emotional nourishment, even if physical needs are met, secure attachment is much harder to establish.

For parents, this reinforces something many instinctively feel. A cuddle, a soothing voice or simply being present during moments of distress are not small gestures. They are building blocks for emotional wellbeing.

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A viral moment with bigger implications

For parents, the parallel is striking. Babies and children need far more than physical care. They seek closeness, reassurance and safe spaces when the world feels overwhelming.

Like the rhesus monkeys, Punch gravitated towards softness and comfort. The plush toy does not feed him, but it provides a sense of security. In the absence of his mother, he sought out the closest substitute for warmth and reassurance.

What makes the footage so moving is how recognisable it feels. Many children form strong attachments to comfort objects, whether that is a soft toy, a blanket or a well loved teddy.

These items often act as transitional objects, helping little ones feel safe when their primary caregiver is not immediately present.

For busy parents juggling work, nursery runs and endless to do lists, that can feel like a lot of pressure. But often it is the simplest acts, sitting together after a tricky day, offering a hug, listening without distraction, that matter most.

For now, Punch continues to cling to his plush companion as he navigates life in the troop. His story may be unfolding in a zoo enclosure in Japan, but the instinct behind it is a universal reminder that love and warmth are central to wellbeing from our very first days.