A video circulating on social media shows a juvenile Japanese macaque known as Punch lying motionless beside his 'Oran-Mama' plush toy after an encounter with older members of his troop. The footage, which spread widely online, led some viewers to question whether the seven-month-old animal had died after the incident.

Officials at Ichikawa City Zoo said Punch is alive and currently in stable condition. In astatementreleased on 8 March, staff confirmed that the young macaque had been examined after the video prompted concern from viewers around the world.

According to the facility, a review of enclosure surveillance footage and recordings provided by visitors showed that Punch was pushed into the pond during an interaction with another monkey. The animal did not fall into the water on his own. Staff said the individual macaque involved has been identified and that measures have been taken to manage behaviour within the troop.

Veterinary staffexamined Punch again on Sunday following the incident. Keepers said checks of his left arm, which had become a particular concern among online viewers, showed no swelling or heat. Later the same day, Punch was seen eating normally and moving around the 'Monkey Mountain' habitat.

March 8th, Sunday. Punch is not good.#viralmonkey#punchtoday#punchinjapan#trendingvideo

Punch was born on 26 July 2025 and was hand-raised by keepers after beingabandoned by his mothershortly after birth. As a result, staff have been gradually introducing him to the larger troop of Japanese macaques living at the enclosure.

The 'Monkey Mountain' habitat houses around 60 macaques. According tokeepers, young monkeys typically learn to interact within the group by spending time with older animals while staff monitor their behaviour.

Our friend Punch is thriving 🥹Punch accidentally fell into a pond before the 3 p.m. feeding, but was comforted by older monkeys afterward. Zookeepers later shared that by around 5 p.m., Punch had recovered well and was playing with other monkeys his age, eating plenty of food…pic.twitter.com/L0HRIjpTk5

The pond incident captured in the viral video occurred during one of these interactions. After reviewing the footage, staff said the young macaque was pushed into the water by another member of the troop.

Officials confirmedthat the animal involved has been identified and that interactions within the group are continuing to be monitored as Punch spends more time with the other macaques.

Source: International Business Times UK