Tokyo, Japan - In response to continued online concern, the Japanese zoo caring for Punch, the baby monkey who has become an internet sensation, issued a statement insisting that he isn't being bullied.

Punch, a seven-month-old baby macaque, was abandoned by his mother and became a star after clinging to an orangutan IKEA toy for comfort at Ichikawa City Zoo outside Tokyo.

Last month, after the zoo posted on X that Punch "had been scolded many times by other monkeys," videos showing him being chased by troop members spread online, alongside claims that he was being bullied.

"As a result, we have received many voices of concern from people both in Japan and overseas," the zoo revealed in a statement Tuesday.

It added that Punch was becoming less reliant on the stuffed orangutan toy because more monkeys were looking after and playing with him.

"While dominant individuals may show disciplining actions toward their subordinates, as macaques do naturally, these actions in the macaque society differ from human abuses," the zoo said.

"Punch spends most of the day peacefully."

After being abandoned by his mother, Punch was raised in an artificial environment and began training to rejoin his troop earlier this year.

Punch's predicament struck the internet's heartstrings and spawned a devoted fanbase under the hashtag #HangInTherePunch. As a result, large crowds have flocked to the Ichikawa City Zoo, and sales of Punch's IKEA orangutan toy have boomed.

However, animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said Punch's plight has highlighted the cruelty of zoos and called for his relocation to a "reputable sanctuary, where he could live in a more natural environment".

The zoo disagrees, saying "Punch has become accustomed to living in this troop, so separating him now would create the risk that he would never be able to return to the group and would have to continue living that way for the rest of his life."