2 min readFeb 26, 2026 08:15 AM IST First published on: Feb 26, 2026 at 08:15 AM ISTIt is easy to see why, in this time of atomised lives, so many people feel so emotionally invested in the story of a friendless baby monkey in Japan’s Ichikawa zoo, who was rejected at birth by his mother. The story of Punch is the story of anyone who has returned to an empty home after a long day or stood in a corner in a room full of people, waiting for someone to say a friendly word. Only the details differ: As he struggles to integrate with the other Japanese macaques in the zoo, Punch seeks solace in a stuffed toy he lugs everywhere. Humans are more likely to reach for the cold comfort of a smartphone.But perhaps Punch’s loneliness also hits harder because it is a reminder of the limits of human empathy: His fans may weep over the video of an older macaque attacking the seven-month-old, they may post social media messages imploring kindness and an end to the “bullying”, but to what avail? Punch can only live — and thrive — with his own kind. Whether to embrace him as one of their own or not is the prerogative of the other macaques. No amount of human pleading could possibly persuade another species to do anything but follow the dictates of its nature.AdvertisementSo what are those fretting over his fate to do? Perhaps employ the great human gift of imagination to recast the tragedy of a lonely little monkey as a tale of courage and tenacity. Punch may run to the inanimate arms of his stuffed toy each time he is attacked or rejected — but he also, every single time, returns to the troop to, yet again, try and make a connection, willing to be vulnerable in order to belong. When he finally does, it will be a triumph. It will also, hopefully, be an inspiration for lonely hearts of the human kind.