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Thanks to Punch the monkey and his adorable stuffed BFF taking over the internet, zoos around the U.S. have re-evaluated what enrichment looks like for their animals, venturing into the world of stuffed animals.
One zoo went as far as to see if its silverback gorillas would respond positively to having a stuffy of their own. The San Antonio Zoo, of course, shared its experiment with the rest of the world by posting the video—their silverbacks’ slightly puzzled, yet definitely offended reaction to its X account.
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Silverback Gorilla Gives His Unabridged Thoughts on Stuffed Animals
The video opens with one of the handlers standing above the gorilla enclosure, holding everyone’s favorite childhood monkey, Curious George. Since you cannot go into the enclosure with the silverbacks, the handler gives George a gentle toss into the habitat.
The adorable stuffed toy lands a couple of feet away from their large silverback. Now, you never know how gorillas are going to react to things being dropped in their enclosures, which is why the public is cautioned from doing the same thing. However, no one could have predicted his reaction to the stuffed monkey that was now joining him in his home.
The gorilla took one look at George lying on the grass and shot the handler a look that could only have meant, “And why would I want this?” Of course, the hilarity didn’t stop there. The silverback glanced back at George, almost as if he was wondering if it was going to get up and do something. He shot yet another puzzled look at his handler.
The internet had a field day in the comments, predicting what all those quizzical looks from the gorilla might mean. One fan writes, “The look up like ‘Are you mocking me?'” He truly looks like he thought the handler was messing with him.
Other fans suggest it just has to be a larger stuffed animal, or maybe a smaller primate, to have the same effect as Punch and his beloved IKEA monkey.
Related: Hilarious Monkey Gets Paid in Treats for Cleaning His Caregiver’s Shirt
The zoo’s handlers didn’t stop there with their shenanigans, though. They had to see if the other, smaller gorillas would like Curious George, too. This time, Curious George was dropped off inside the enclosure, perched on a rock.
However, the second experiment sadly had a similar result. The gorillas wanted nothing to do with their stuffed visitor. Unfortunately for us, they barely gave him the time of day. Poor little George got a side glance and a quick exit in the opposite direction.
The best part was the stuffed animal tumbling over, seemingly out of exasperation. The poor guy didn’t get any love from the primates in San Antonio Zoo’s Congo Falls.
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This story was originally published by Parade Pets on Mar 10, 2026, where it first appeared in the Pet News section. Add Parade Pets as a Preferred Source by clicking here.