Can You Legally Buy Punch, The Viral Monkey? Tate Brothers Place Their Bid to Get the Baby Macaque
Punch, the Japanese baby macaque, is the internet’s newest fascination. The animal has been winning hearts on social media for its adorable antics. However, people are also infuriated by how he is being treated by the fellow monkeys in the zoo. He is slapped and beaten whenever he tries to make new friends. Punch was also abandoned at birth by his mother, and the zookeepers had to raise him. Besides that, he found comfort and safety in a stuffed orangutan toy from IKEA, which quickly became his constant companion. Clips of him dragging the plushie around wherever he goes garnered immense attention from fans online.
Among many social media users, Punch’s story also reached Tristan Tate and his brother Andrew Tate. They offered to buy Punch and asked which zoo he is being kept in. Moreover, Tristan also offered $250,000. On February 20, 2026, he went on X and posted, “Which Zoo owns this monkey? @Cobratate and I will buy it. 250,000 dollars. I am NOT joking.” Tate made an offer on a video of Punch getting dragged and bullied by a bigger monkey inside the enclosure. His statement garnered explosive reactions from various users, and one said, “The last thing any zoo should do is sell a monkey to you so you can monetize it.” To which Tate replied, “What do zoos have monkeys for if not to monetize them?”
However, the main question is whether someone can buy an animal from a zoo. To put it in simple words, one cannot buy or sell any animal from a zoo. Punch was born at Ichikawa City Zoo in 2025 and has been living there since. Owning a baby macaque is not as simple as making a huge cash offer, even if someone is willing to pay millions. Since he lives in a Japanese zoo, he is protected under strict animal welfare and wildlife trade laws. This means that he cannot legally be sold to a private owner. The international rule CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) heavily regulates the movement of primates across borders. It allows transfers mainly for conservation or scientific purposes, but not for personal ownership.
Furthermore, the United States enforces laws such as the Captive Primate Safety Act. Under this act, interstate trade and ownership of monkeys as pets is illegal. The law explicitly states, “The Captive Primate Safety Act would amend the Lacey Act to prohibit the private possession of nonhuman primates (such as chimpanzees, galagos, gibbons, gorillas, lemurs, lorises, monkeys, orangutans, and tarsiers). This prohibition is narrowly focused on pet primates and exempts zoos, research labs, sanctuaries, and universities.” So realistically, Punch is not something anyone, celebrity or billionaire, can simply buy and take home.
In response to the video of Punch getting bullied going viral, the zoo released a statement saying that it is a natural process for macaques to develop social relationships with others. They wrote. “While Punch is scolded, he shows resilience and mental strength. When you observe these disciplinary behaviors from other troop members toward Punch when he tries to communicate with them, we would like you to support Punch's effort rather than feel sorry for him.” In recent clips, Punch can be seen making new friends. He can be seen playing with other monkeys and slowly integrating with the group. Although he still carries his plushie around, sometimes he can be seen leaving it and enjoying the company of his new buddies.
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