Can You Have A Pet Monkey?

man shows his pet monkey (l) man gives his monkey and stuffed toy (c) pet monkey (r)

If you’ve scrolled TikTok at all over the past few weeks, you’ve probably become familiar with Punch the monkey. He is a baby macaque who has stolen viewers’ hearts worldwide after his mother abandoned him at birth. Rescued by a zoo in Japan, he now carries around a stuffed animal for comfort.

Photos and videos of him dragging the toy around have gone viral, causing an influx of visitors at the Ichikawa City Zoological and Botanical Garden near Tokyo, where he lives, as well as major attention online.

Now, a man with a pet monkey has also gone viral after starting a series of videos trying to “turn him into Punch.”

The pet monkey named Dex, short for Dexture, does not appear to be having it.

In part 5 of the series posted to the monkey’s TikTok account, @dexthemonkey, his owner hands him a stuffed animal. Dex picks it up with a look of confusion on his face and throws it into a nearby trash bin.

The previous videos from the series show the pet monkey expressing a similar sentiment. In part 1, he throws the stuffed animal off a ledge. In part 2, he throws it into the pool, and in part 3, he throws it over the balcony, and so on.

Commenters Find The Series Amusing

In the comments section, viewers were entertained by the monkey’s facial expressions as he threw the stuffed toy away. Others made jokes.

“I think you’ve rescued one of Punch’s bullies,” one user wrote, referring to the other monkeys Punch lives with who haven’t fully accepted him into the troop yet.

“He’s like do I look like Punch to you????” joked another.

“I feel like he’s happy enough he’s like we don’t need competition around here,” wrote a third.

“This is definitely the Temu version,” another stated.

Can You Have A Pet Monkey?

In the U.S., whether having a pet monkey is legal depends on the specific laws of the state you live in.

According to World Population Review, owning a pet monkey is legal in 20 states, including Michigan, Wisconsin, Kansas, and Texas. It is completely illegal in 23 states and partially banned in 7 others.

States with partial bans include Montana, Idaho, Indiana, Ohio, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi. These partial bans usually depend on the species of primate someone wants to own, often prohibiting larger primates such as chimpanzees, gorillas, and others.