Many older viral videos with titles like “Why Mom Popeye fight Sweetpea / Cry Seizure Request Milk / Wild Monkey” are edited to create drama and strong emotions. In short clips, viewers may see a mother monkey, sometimes called “Popeye,” pulling, pushing, or appearing to fight with her baby, “Sweetpea,” while the baby cries loudly. Without context, it can look cruel or frightening. However, monkey behavior in real life is more complex than a brief video suggests.
Baby monkeys cry for many reasons—hunger, fear, separation, or simple discomfort. What some viewers describe as a “seizure” is often normal infant distress behavior, including shaking or intense crying. When a mother seems to push the baby away, she may be encouraging independence, correcting behavior, or responding to social pressure from other monkeys nearby. In wild troops, mothers must balance nursing with moving, feeding, and maintaining their social rank.
In daily life, monkeys live in structured groups with clear hierarchies. Mothers groom their babies, nurse them, and keep them close for protection. At the same time, they discipline and guide them. Life in the wild is demanding—food competition, predators, and social conflict are constant challenges. Short online clips rarely show the full story. Observing monkeys over time reveals strong maternal bonds shaped by survival and natural instinct.
