Andrew Tate & brother offer to buy abandoned Japanese monkey Punch for S$316,000

Punch, the abandoned Japanese macaque whose story captured hearts online, has found another supporter in influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate.

On Feb. 20, younger brother Tristan reshared on X a viral video of baby Punch seeking comfort from his stuffed orangutan plushie after getting attacked by an older monkey.

Above the video, Tristan wrote, "Which Zoo owns this monkey. [Andrew Tate] and I will buy it. 250,000 dollars. I am NOT joking."

Their tweet was met with widespread consternation, with many pointing out that this was probably a bad idea, and that Punch was probably safer in the zoo.

The Tate brothers, who are British-American dual citizens, were handed many criminal charges by British prosecutors in May 2025, including rape, actual bodily harm, and human trafficking.

They were first arrested in Romania in December 2022, accused of rape and human trafficking, and both denied the charges.

Punch's story

Punch, also known as Panchi-kun in Japanese, is a six-month-old macaque in Japan's Ichikawa City Zoo.

He quickly became an online sensation after photos and videos of him hugging and playing with a small orangutan plushie went viral in early February.

He was rescued after being abandoned and was raised through hand-rearing, the zoo wrote on X.

Japanese baby macaques cling to their mothers to feel safe and to build up muscles, according to Japan Today.

The zoo hence looked for an alternative for Punch, including towels and soft toys, and he chose the orangutan plushie.

After beginning training to rejoin his troop in January, he was gaining some acceptance among the other monkeys, getting playful and groomed by them.

However, on Feb. 19, a video of Punch getting dragged around by an older monkey emerged, sparking concern and uproar.

The response prompted the zoo to issue a statement, saying that the older monkey was probably the mother of the monkey Punch tried to communicate with.

"She probably felt that her baby was annoyed by Punch and got upset, expressing 'don't be mean'," the zookeepers explained.

They added that although Punch has been scolded many times by other monkeys, no single monkey has shown serious aggression towards him.

Fans have flocked to Ichikawa City Zoo to express solidarity with Punch.

The crowds have grown so much that the zoo designated a no-entry zone in the viewing area to ensure that the animals do not become stressed, they announced on Feb. 20.

Top images from Ichikawa City Zoo's X, Tristan Tate's X, and therealworldapp/Instagram