Why Punch the monkey's mother abandoned him as heartbreaking story leaves people in tears

The zookeepers looking after Punch the monkey have revealed the tragic reason why his mother abandoned him.

If you have no idea what we're talking about, Punch is a seven-month-old Japanese macaque who's stolen the hearts of people around the world, after videos of him carrying around his stuffed animal circulated on social media.

The internet has become obsessed with the baby primate, who was rejected by his mother at birth after he was born in July last year at Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan.

He's been hand-reared by zoo staff and officially moved into the monkey enclosure with the rest of the troop last month - however, it hasn't exactly gone smoothly.

Heartbreaking videos of little Punch being 'bullied' by the other monkeys have gone viral online, showing him being pushed and swung around, as well as carrying around his stuffed orangutan.

You can see footage of Punch being scolded and running to his stuffed toy for comfort below. Some viewers may find the clip distressing:

Zookeepers confirmed in a statement that 'although Punch has been scolded many times by other monkeys, no single monkey has shown serious aggression toward him'.

Despite reassurances that he's completely okay and is simply trying to integrate with the troop, the internet has become very maternal over Punch.

And now, as we say, his keepers and animal experts have shed more light on his backstory, including more details on why he could have been abandoned as a baby.

According to The Sun, keepers Kosuke Shikano, 24, and Shumpei Miyakoshi, 34, explained that parental abandonment by monkeys can happen in certain circumstances.

Shikano explained: "The burden of her [Punch’s mother] first birth may have been a factor.

"In the monkey mountain troop, other mother monkeys sometimes take on childcare, so we observed from a distance on the day of birth, but there were no such signs."

He added, "Baby Japanese macaques immediately cling on to their mother’s body after birth to build muscle strength. They also get a sense of security through holding on to something. However, because he had been abandoned, Punch had nothing to grip onto.

“We thought that [the toy] looking like a monkey might help Punch integrate back into the troop later on."

Baby Punch is still trying to integrate with his new troop (David Mareuil/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Primatology expert, Alison Behie, told the publication that 'age, health and inexperience' were all factors at play within this case.

The animal expert said, "In Punch’s case, their mother was a first-time mother, indicating inexperience.

"Zookeepers also suggest Punch was born during a heatwave, which would be a high-stress environment. In environments where survival is threatened from outside stress, mothers may prioritise their own health and future reproduction rather than continue to care for an infant whose health may be compromised by those environmental conditions."

Behie also reassured Punch fans that the behaviour we've seen towards him 'isn’t bullying or any abnormal behaviour, but regular social interaction'.

Speaking of how Punch dealt with the abandonment, Shikano explained, “Since Punch was healthy, we temporarily separated him from the troop and began hand-feeding him with milk.”

The keeper added, "The stuffed animal’s fur made it easy to grab, and its appearance is also similar to a monkey, which likely provided a sense of security."

While Miyakoshi chimed in with: “He’s actively engaging with other monkeys, and I can feel he’s growing up."