Tate Brothers offer $250,000 to buy viral Japanese baby monkey Punch

Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have shown interest in buying Punch, the macaque monkey currently living in Ichikawa City Zoo. The monkey’s videos have gone viral, and people not only in Japan but across the globe are showing a soft side to his videos online. As Punch has become the internet's favourite Tate brother, make an offer to buy the 7-month-old for $250,000.

In an X post, Tristan has enquired “which zoo owns this monkey”.

The little baby had been abandoned by his mother days after his birth and is now seen dragging an orange orangutan soft toy, which he cling on to for support and uses as a shield. As the offer from self-styled “misogynist influencer” surfaced online, some X users have lashed out in the comment section. A user Brick Suit wrote, “The last thing any zoo should do is sell a monkey to you so you can monetize it.” And when Tate clarified his intent through his tweet, the user responded, “Thanks for confirming you wanted to monetize Punch.” While some even supported the move.

The Punch effect:

As the 7-month-old macaque monkey Punch goes viral, so has his pal, the orange orangutan soft toy. It is flying off the shelves globally. As photographs and videos of the monkey from the Ichikawa City Zoo outside Tokyo surfaced online, he instantly became the internet’s favourite. Many even flock to the zoo to catch a glimpse of him. While many in Japan plan a visit to the zoo, others across the globe look for his toy, which is reportedly out of stock in Japan and other countries.

An interesting fact about the ‘DJUNGELSKOG soft toys collection’ is that it is an awareness programme run by the Swedish company “to highlight wild animals that are endangered due to human activities”. According to its website, “Martin Petri, who works with sustainability at IKEA, was in a rainforest in Borneo in 2016. It was hot and humid. The sound from surrounding wildlife resonated intensely in all directions. High up in a tree, he caught a glimpse of an orangutan dwelling – they were back.”