IPOH, May 20 — The Taiping Municipal Council (MPT) has stressed that any allegations relating to the neglect of elephant welfare at Tennoji Zoo in Japan must be supported by reasonable evidence before any move to terminate the cooperation programme or initiate the repatriation process can be considered.

MPT president Mohamed Akmal Dahalan said decisions concerning the termination of the programme could not be made unilaterally as they are subject to the terms and provisions agreed upon in the agreement between the parties involved.

“The process of returning the elephants or terminating the cooperation can only be carried out based on proper assessment and clear evidence should there be any breach of the agreement’s terms, particularly involving animal welfare aspects.

“MPT wishes to emphasise that any decision related to terminating the cooperation programme, including the return of the elephants or implementation of repatriation, must be made on clear grounds and supported by reasonable evidence of breaches of the agreement,” he said in a statement today.

Mohamed Akmal said the zoo is responsible for ensuring that the elephants’ welfare, health, nutrition, veterinary treatment, safety and daily management are carried out in accordance with international standards and best practices.

“Tennoji Zoo is also required to continuously implement environmental enrichment programmes in addition to complying with the prohibition of any activities that could compromise animal welfare or involve hybridisation.

“Furthermore, MPT and the relevant agencies have the right to conduct periodic audits and monitoring to ensure full compliance with all terms of the agreement,” he said.

He said monitoring mechanisms are also carried out through Joint Committee Meetings held from time to time, in addition to the zoo’s obligation to provide annual reports on the elephants’ health condition and management.

Commenting on transparency issues, he said the full copy of the agreement cannot be disclosed to the public as it is an official government document classified as confidential and subject to legal and professional obligations between both parties.

However, he said MPT would extend full cooperation to any investigating authority requiring access to the document.

“The contents of the agreement were drafted based on comprehensive review with reference to the Animal Welfare Act 2015 [Act 772], the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 [Act 716], the Malaysian National Elephant Conservation Action Plan (NECAP), as well as international guidelines by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA).

“The Parliamentary Select Committee on Environment, Science and Plantation of the Malaysian Parliament is currently examining the matter, including planning a visit to Japan for the purpose of review and information gathering,” he said. — Bernama

MERSING, May 19 — The process of bringing home three elephants, Dara, Amoi and Kelat, from Tennoji Zoo in Osaka, Japan, cannot be rushed as it involves several procedures that must be followed, said Deputy Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh.

He said the welfare and safety of the animals must be prioritised to prevent any untoward incidents.

“It’s not a case of deciding today and bringing them back tomorrow. There is also an existing agreement between Zoo Taiping and Night Safari (ZTNS) and Tennoji Zoo.

“So the matter needs to be carefully considered and assessed. As for when they might be brought home, I’m not in a position to say as I do not have the details,” he told reporters after launching the Biodiversity Exploration Programme within the Central Forest Spine (CFS) ecological network at Lenggor Forest Reserve and Mersing Forest Reserve, held at Mersing Polytechnic here today.

He said the ministry has entrusted ZTNS and the Taiping Municipal Council with handling matters related to the elephants, including any necessary follow-up action.

Previously, Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup said that proposals from various parties, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs), to bring the elephants home should be given serious consideration.

The three elephants were previously transferred to Tennoji Zoo under a conservation collaboration, a move that has recently drawn public concern over their welfare.

Meanwhile, Syed Ibrahim said the five-day exploration, which began yesterday, involves 120 participants, including researchers from higher learning institutions, government agency officials, NGOs and various experts.

“The main objective of the exploration is to better understand forest functionality and connectivity, as well as ecological corridors, while supporting efforts to conserve habitats and manage biodiversity resources in a more integrated and sustainable manner,” he said. — Bernama

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

A convincing AI-generated image of a runaway wolf in South Korea led to the arrest of a man after it derailed the rescue team searching for the canine.

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