Japanese police arrested two American men after they brazenly climbed a fence to break into the monkey exhibit at Ichikawa Zoo, home to Punch-kun, the snow monkey who became a viral sensation worldwide. It is believed they intended to film content to compete for cryptocurrency coins.
Japanese police revealed that two American men were arrested on charges of obstructing official duties after jointly trespassing into the monkey exhibit at Ichikawa Zoo in Ichikawa City, Chiba Prefecture, near Tokyo. The enclosure houses Punch-kun, the famous snow monkey. The incident occurred on the morning of Sunday, 17 May 2024 GMT+7.
The first suspect, a 24-year-old university student, was caught after climbing the fence and jumping into the dry moat surrounding the monkey enclosure, while the other, a 27-year-old claiming to be a singer, was filming the event.
Social media images showed a man dressed in a yellow costume with a smiling mask and sunglasses climbing the fence into the monkey area, causing the troop of monkeys to scatter in all directions.
Zoo officials quickly detained both individuals, confirming that neither suspect touched or harmed any animals before handing them over to the police for prosecution. Police added that the two had no identification documents on them and initially provided false names during questioning.
This incident occurred after Ichikawa Zoo attracted many visitors, both Japanese and foreign, because Punch-kun, the Japanese snow monkey, became an online star. The zoo shared images of the baby monkey hugging an IKEA orangutan doll to comfort himself after being rejected by his mother.
Punch-kun was born in July last year and has been raised in a special environment before beginning reintegration into the monkey troop this year. His story gained significant online attention under the hashtag “#HangInTherePunch.”
Following the incident, Memecoin's X account reminded everyone to respect local laws and avoid putting themselves, others, or animals at risk when creating content for campaigns. They stated the man intended only to give the doll to Punch-kun and confirmed no animals were harmed. They also announced a planned donation of 1 million yen to the zoo to support animal care and improve the monkey enclosure.
However, this incident further highlights Japanese society's concerns about inappropriate behavior by foreign tourists and content creators. Last year, a Ukrainian YouTuber with over 6.5 million followers was arrested after live-streaming a trespass into a restricted area near the Fukushima nuclear plant. In 2023, American YouTuber Johnny Somali was arrested for trespassing at a construction site.
. . . SourceAFP/@thememecoincult/Yomiuri Shimbun