Intruder enters home of beloved stuffed animal-loving macaque.

Japan’s Ichikawa City Zoo attracted worldwide attention earlier this year as animal lovers around the globe heard about Punch, a newborn monkey who, after being rejected by his mother, bonded with an Ikea orangutang stuffed animal. Though Punch is the facility’s most famous resident, it has other adorable animals as well, such as alpacas, capybaras, and lesser pandas.

However, despite the Ichikawa City Zoo not having any donkeys, there unfortunately were two jackasses at the zoo last weekend. On Sunday morning at around 10:50 a.m., a man wearing a full-body costume resembling a business suit and an emoji-style head climbed over the fence of the habitat where Punch and the other Japanese macaques live. As he walked around, the animals fled to the top of their climbing rock, and a zoo employee came to remove the man. Other workers restrained the costumed man’s companion, who had been recording a video of him from outside the habitat, and the zoo contacted the police, who came and took the pair into custody.

▼ Video of the man being led out of the monkey habitat by a zoo employee

The two men, aged 24 and 27, told the police they were American citizens, although investigators have not, as of the time of this writing, publicly confirmed that piece of information. They have both been arrested on charges of forced obstruction of business, the standard charge for disruptive and/or intimidating behavior in or around places of business (such as sending letters to Nintendo’s main office saying you’re going to “blow them all the hell up”).

After being taken into custody, one of the men said “I do not want to answer questions, and I do not think I should have been arrested.” A spokesperson for the zoo, in speaking with reporters, countered with “This is beyond the bounds of common sense. I’m surprised and baffled that someone would do something like this.”

Thankfully, no monkeys were harmed in the incident, but with orderly conduct and cute animals both being things Japan is very fond of, online reactions to the incident have been pretty much universally furious.

“Just toss them into a cage with a crocodile or bear instead.”
“Put ‘em in with some lions.”
“It’s unforgivable for them to do this just as Punch is integrating with the rest of the macaques.”
“If you had the guy in the costume and Punch both take an IQ test, I’m pretty sure Punch would get the higher score.”
“Deport them and never let them into the country again.”
“Don’t let them go because they’re foreigners. Prosecute them.”
“Please stop letting people get away with things like this without taking them to court…please make them pay fines for disrupting the zoo’s operations.”

Again, the two men’s nationalities have yet to be publicly confirmed. The online reactions, though, still reflect a growing sense of exasperation for transgressions of this nature, and should serve as a warning to anyone considering engaging in such asinine behavior that getting off with a slap on the wrist might be becoming a less likely outcome than it was in the past.

Source: FNN Prime Online, TBS News Dig, Yomiuri Shimbun, Nikkan Sports, YouTube/FNNプライムオンライン
Top image: Pakutaso
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TOKYO, May 18 — Two American nationals were arrested in Japan after a stunt in which one entered the monkey enclosure at a zoo where a baby macaque named Punch became a global internet sensation this year, police said Monday.

One of the men, who identified himself as a 24-year-old college student, was arrested Sunday after climbing over a fence and dropping into a dry moat surrounding the monkey exhibit at Ichikawa City Zoo outside Tokyo.

The other man, who was filming the act, identified himself as a 27-year-old singer.

Images on social media showed a person scaling the fence in a costume that included a smiley face head with sunglasses, prompting the monkeys to scatter.

The men did not come close to the animals, and were quickly apprehended by zoo officials, said an official at Ichikawa Police who spoke with AFP on a traditional condition of anonymity.

The two men face charges of forcible obstruction of business, which they refute, the police official said.

The duo did not have formal identifications with them and initially tried to lie to police about their names, he added.

The arrests follow a massive surge in domestic and international visitors to the zoo, driven by Punch’s viral fame.

The baby monkey became an internet star this year after the zoo posted photos of Punch clutching an IKEA plush orangutan for comfort after being rejected by his mother.

Punch was raised in an artificial environment after being born in July, and began training to rejoin his troop earlier this year.

Punch’s predicament sparked huge interest online, spawning a devoted fanbase under the hashtag #HangInTherePunch.

An unprecedented number of tourists are flocking to Japan, but some residents have become fed up with unruly behaviour.

Last year, a Ukrainian YouTuber with more than 6.5 million subscribers was arrested after livestreaming himself trespassing in a house in the Fukushima nuclear exclusion zone.

And a US livestreamer known as Johnny Somali was arrested in 2023 for allegedly trespassing onto a construction site. — AFP 

Japanese police reportedly arrested an American crypto bro who illegally entered Punch the monkey's zoo enclosure.

The man's friend, who was filming it, was arrested too. He told police: “I did not enter the fenced area, so this arrest is not justified”pic.twitter.com/I7BIeYQbEI https://t.co/Lp24zHoZCi

— Jeffrey J. Hall(@mrjeffu) May 18, 2026