Feb. 24 (UPI) — A viral video of a bullied baby monkey clinging to a stuffed orangutan at a Japanese zoo led to the Ikea toy selling out online — and some fetching big bucks on eBay.<\/p>\n
Punch, a 7-month-old macaque, was abandoned after his birth<\/a> and is being raised by keepers at the Ichikawa City Zoo, who gave him the Ikea Djungelskog stuffed orangutan to cling to for security.\n<\/p>\n A viral video shared online last week showed Punch clinging to the stuffed toy after he was dragged in circles by an adult member of the zoo’s troop.<\/p>\n The video made Punch a viral star, with some viewers raising concerns about the monkey’s loneliness and safety. The zoo posted a statement<\/a> assuring Punch’s fans that the behavior is known as “scolding,” and the baby is uninjured and has since been seen<\/a> interacting normally with the rest of the troop.\n<\/p>\n Punch’s popularity, which caused a surge in visitors to the zoo in the days after the video was posted, also extended to the toy orangutan. The $19.99 Djungelskog quickly sold out online<\/a> in the United States, Japan and South Korea.<\/p>\n “We’re all punch’s family now,” Ikea said in an Instagram post.<\/p>\n