Two Americans Arrested After Punch Enclosure Stunt in Japan

Two US nationals were arrested after one man climbed into punch’s enclosure at Ichikawa City Zoo on Sunday morning while the other filmed the stunt. Police said no monkeys were injured, and zoo workers quickly apprehended the pair before they got close to the animals.

Ichikawa City Zoo Moves Fast

Ichikawa City Zoo said on Monday that it had filed a damage report with police and was expanding the enclosure’s viewing restriction area. The zoo also said it was installing intrusion prevention nets and considering a full ban on filming around the monkey enclosure, with requests from YouTubers temporarily on hold.

Punch’s Rise Online

The target of the stunt was Punch, a nine-month-old macaque who first drew online attention after being spotted hugging a stuffed toy orangutan. Keepers at Ichikawa City Zoo gave him the toy after his mother rejected him, and the zoo later shared regular social media updates as he moved into the shared enclosure in January.

Police said the men were arrested on suspicion of forcible obstruction of business. One man claimed to be a 24-year-old college student, and the other claimed to be a 27-year-old singer.

Zoo Visitors Face New Limits

Ichikawa Police said the men did not get close to the animals. That detail leaves the zoo focused on prevention rather than animal rescue: the new nets, wider viewing restrictions and possible filming ban are the immediate response around the enclosure where Punch has been drawing attention online. Last month, a man was fined $300 for breaking into the enclosure of Moo Deng at a zoo in Thailand.