Play video content TMZ.comA baby Japanese macaque named Punch has gone viral for capturing hearts around the world -- after his mother neglected him at birth and led him to find comfort in a stuffed monkey ... but according to one expert we spoke to, he will eventually need a living, loving mom in his life. We spoke with Michael Stern -- a Harvard-trained primatologist with decades of experience studying gorillas both in captivity and in the wild in Uganda -- who tells us every primate needs something to love when they're a baby, and they need to be loved ... just like us humans! In terms of people online like Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan, who have publicly offered to buy Punch off of the zoo, Stern tells us it's not necessarily the zoo's fault, but there are some ways these folks can put their money where their mouth is. The ape expert points out if you look at the video, these monkeys are living on concrete and don't really have that much grass or any real trees to climb. So the folks who are saying we should buy them out and rescue them, maybe they should be thinking bigger picture.

Source: Punch February 22, 2026 00:09 UTC