Two American citizens were arrested in Japan after allegedly entering a monkey enclosure at a zoo near Tokyo where a baby macaque named Punch recently became an internet sensation.
According to police, one of the men, who identified himself as a 24-year-old college student, was arrested on Sunday after climbing over a fence and entering a dry moat surrounding the monkey exhibit at Ichikawa City Zoo.
The second individual, reportedly a 27-year-old singer, was allegedly filming the stunt.
Images shared on social media showed a person wearing a costume with a large smiley-face head and sunglasses climbing into the enclosure, causing the monkeys to scatter.
Zoo officials quickly intervened and detained the duo before they could come close to the animals. Police later arrested both men on allegations linked to forcible obstruction of business.
Authorities also claimed the men initially attempted to provide false names and were not carrying formal identification documents.
The incident drew widespread attention because the zoo has recently seen a surge in visitors following the viral popularity of Punch, a baby Japanese macaque who captured hearts online earlier this year.
Punch became famous after the zoo shared photographs of the young monkey clinging to an IKEA plush orangutan after reportedly being rejected by his mother.
The baby macaque, born in July, was raised in an artificial environment and later began social training to rejoin its troop. The story sparked global attention online under the hashtag “#HangInTherePunch”.
The arrests come amid growing concerns in Japan over disruptive behaviour by some foreign content creators and tourists.
In recent years, Japanese authorities have taken action against several social media influencers and livestreamers accused of trespassing and creating public disturbances for online content