Two American citizens are in police custody in Japan following an unauthorized entry into a zoo enclosure housing Punch, a baby macaque whose rejection by his mother and subsequent attachment to a stuffed toy made him a global internet celebrity. The incident occurred on Sunday morning at the Ichikawa City Zoo, located just outside Tokyo.
The Ichikawa Police Department identified the suspects as Reid Jahnai Dayson, 24, a university student, and Neal Jabahri Duan, 27, who identified himself to authorities as a singer. Police arrested both men on suspicion of forcible obstruction of business, a charge the suspects deny.
A Stunt in a Costume
According to eyewitness footage shared on social media, a individual scaled the perimeter fence and dropped into the dry moat that separates the public from the monkey exhibit. The intruder wore a costume consisting of a large smiley-face head with sunglasses. Reports suggest the attire was intended to promote a cryptocurrency.
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While Dayson allegedly entered the habitat, Duan reportedly filmed the encounter. The intrusion caused the resident macaques to scatter in alarm. Zoo officials intervened quickly, detaining the individual before he could approach the animals. Investigators noted that the suspects carried no formal identification and initially provided false names to the police.
Attention tourists who are traveling to Japan to see Punch the Monkey:
・An illegal stunt by two American cryptocurrency promoters has made the Ichikawa Zoo put up more netting and restrict viewing areas.
・The zoo is considering a total ban on all photography of the monkey… https://t.co/S5fzh5su4W pic.twitter.com/oKOfjFI3jg— Jeffrey J. Hall 🇯🇵🇺🇸 (@mrjeffu) May 19, 2026
The target of the stunt was the enclosure of Punch, a nine-month-old Japanese macaque who became a major internet phenomenon earlier this year. Born last July, the infant was abandoned by his mother and raised by zookeepers in an artificial environment. To provide comfort, keepers gave him an IKEA plush orangutan, which Punch was frequently filmed dragging around his enclosure.
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The monkey’s reliance on the toy attracted millions of views worldwide under the social media hashtag #HangInTherePunch. Zoo attendance rose sharply as international and domestic tourists sought to glimpse the macaque. Experts in primate behaviour, including Matt Lovatt of the UK’s Trentham Monkey Forest, had been monitoring the case closely, noting recently that Punch was successfully integrating into his troop through social grooming.
Lockdown at the Enclosure
Following the incident, the Ichikawa City Zoo confirmed that veterinarians found no injuries or behavioral abnormalities among the animals. However, the management announced a immediate review of their security protocols.
Starting this week, the zoo has restricted public access to the macaque exhibit, installing “intrusion prevention nets” and establishing permanent security patrols. Furthermore, the administration is considering a total ban on video recording around the enclosure and has suspended all filming requests from high-profile online content creators.
The episode reflects a growing tension in Japan regarding the behavior of foreign tourists, following several high-profile trespassing incidents involving international internet personalities. It also mirrors a global trend of fans crossing boundaries to interact with viral animal celebrities, coming just weeks after a similar security breach occurred at the enclosure of a famous pygmy hippopotamus in Thailand.
They are the trespassers of Monkey Mountain at Ichikawa Zoo.
Because of these selfish people, thousands of genuine Punch Kun fans are now suffering just to get a proper view of our beloved Punch.
After the zoo added netting and expanded the viewing area, things should have… https://t.co/dYFTX0lBfK pic.twitter.com/zjFaawhtq5
— Therapeutic Videos (@therapeuticvids) May 19, 2026
