Punch, a tiny Japanese macaque at the Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan, recently went viral when he was spotted clinging to a stuffed orangutan toy to seek comfort after being abandoned by his mother at birth.
Besides Punch, even the toy, which is part of IKEA's Djungelskog collection, is gaining significant attention on the internet and being resold at significantly higher prices, according to the New York Post.
The adorable Djungelskog orangutan soft toy originally costs around Rs 1,650 (nearly $20), but due to overwhelming demand, IKEA has sold out of the product. This has led to a massive surge in resale prices. Currently, it is fetching more than 10 times the retail price on eBay.
The New York Post highlights that the toy was being sold on the platform for prices ranging from $100 to $355 (around Rs 8,300 to Rs 29,000).
A few days ago, Petra Fare, President and Chief Sustainability Officer of IKEA Japan, visited the Ichikawa City Zoo and donated multiple replacements of the orangutan toy to the baby monkey to ensure that he is never without a cuddly companion.
In multiple videos, Punch was bullied by other monkeys at the zoo in Japan, where he was born in July last year and weighed only 500 gms at the time of birth. After being rejected by his mother, Punch is said to have spent most of his time with the toy, dubbed Ora-mama, since it provided him both comfort and security.
With time, Punch formed a strong bond with the toy and videos of him playing with the stuffed animal were viewed by millions of people on social media.
Interestingly, the toy is now sold out at all IKEA stores in the US, Japan, and South Korea.
The report states that a person from Allen, Texas, has purchased 17 of the plushies and later started re-selling them for $51.99 (around Rs 4,726) a piece on eBay.
Also Read: Ichikawa Or Ishikawa Zoo? Abandoned Baby Monkey 'Punch', Now Sparks A Case Of 'Mistaken Inquiries'
Several people have showed keen interest in paying the inflated price to get their hands on the toy, with 12 of them already sold on Tuesday. Moreover, one of them has been listed on eBay for $350 (Rs 31,820).
Also, a smaller version of the plush toy that measures 8 inches is sold out and remains unavailable on IKEA's official website. In order to meet the overwhelming demand, the company has stated that it is assessing restocking options.
Earlier, zookeeper Kosuke Shikano said, "This stuffed animal has relatively long hair and several easy places to hold... We thought that its resemblance to a monkey might help Punch integrate back into the troop later on, and that's why we chose it."
Shikano further stated that there will "come a day" when Punch will "no longer" require his stuffed toy.
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