Two US nationals have been arrested after one jumped into the enclosure of an internet-famous monkey at a Japanese zoo while the other filmed the stunt, police have said. One of the men, who claimed to be a 24-year-old college student, is accused of scaling a fence to gain access to Punch's enclosure on Sunday morning. The other man claimed to be a 27-year-old singer. Both have denied the allegations. Police have stated that no monkeys were injured during the incident.
Clips of the now nine-month-old macaque attracted millions of views online earlier this year after it was spotted hugging a stuffed toy orangutan given to him by keepers at Ichikawa City Zoo after he was rejected by his mother. Footage purportedly of Sunday’s incident filmed by other zoo-goers and shared on social media shows a person wearing a costume and carrying a stuffed toy jumping over a fence and into the monkey enclosure. The costume was said to be promoting a cryptocurrency. The person can then be seen being led out by a zookeeper.
The two men held by police over the incident have been arrested on suspicion of forcible obstruction of business, according to local media. Ichikawa City Zoo said in a statement on Monday that it filed a damage report with the police and is putting countermeasures in place to prevent future incidents. These include expanding the enclosure's viewing restriction area and installing intrusion prevention nets. The zoo also mentioned that it was considering a full ban on filming around the monkey enclosure and has temporarily halted requests to film from YouTubers.
The men did not get close to the animals and were quickly apprehended by zoo workers, an Ichikawa Police official said. Since he moved into the shared enclosure in January, the zoo has regularly shared social media updates on Punch, who first gained attention for his attachment to his soft toy, being seen dragging it around and playing with it. The zoo previously indicated that Punch initially struggled to bond with the other monkeys, with only the toy and zookeepers providing him company after being abandoned by his mother. However, recent updates show he is integrating better with the other macaques, evidenced by interactions such as being hugged by other monkeys. This incident is among a troubling trend, as other internet-famous animals have faced similar trespass attempts at various zoos.
Clips of the now nine-month-old macaque attracted millions of views online earlier this year after it was spotted hugging a stuffed toy orangutan given to him by keepers at Ichikawa City Zoo after he was rejected by his mother. Footage purportedly of Sunday’s incident filmed by other zoo-goers and shared on social media shows a person wearing a costume and carrying a stuffed toy jumping over a fence and into the monkey enclosure. The costume was said to be promoting a cryptocurrency. The person can then be seen being led out by a zookeeper.
The two men held by police over the incident have been arrested on suspicion of forcible obstruction of business, according to local media. Ichikawa City Zoo said in a statement on Monday that it filed a damage report with the police and is putting countermeasures in place to prevent future incidents. These include expanding the enclosure's viewing restriction area and installing intrusion prevention nets. The zoo also mentioned that it was considering a full ban on filming around the monkey enclosure and has temporarily halted requests to film from YouTubers.
The men did not get close to the animals and were quickly apprehended by zoo workers, an Ichikawa Police official said. Since he moved into the shared enclosure in January, the zoo has regularly shared social media updates on Punch, who first gained attention for his attachment to his soft toy, being seen dragging it around and playing with it. The zoo previously indicated that Punch initially struggled to bond with the other monkeys, with only the toy and zookeepers providing him company after being abandoned by his mother. However, recent updates show he is integrating better with the other macaques, evidenced by interactions such as being hugged by other monkeys. This incident is among a troubling trend, as other internet-famous animals have faced similar trespass attempts at various zoos.
