- 14 Mar 2002
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What a monkey business: two American nationals were arrested after entering a monkey enclosure at Ichikawa City Zoo in Chiba on Sunday morning, disrupting the facility. Police identified the pair as Reid Junai Dyson, 24, and Neil Jabari Duane, 27. The incident happened at around 11 a.m. on 17 May in the zoo's monkey mountain area, which is off-limits to visitors.
Investigators said Dyson climbed over a fence while wearing a yellow costume, then jumped roughly 4 metres into the enclosure housing Punch the monkey. Duane was reportedly filming the incident. Zoo staff eventually restrained Dyson before handing both men over to the police.
Punch drew attention across Japan after photos emerged of the young monkey clinging tightly to a stuffed toy. He had been rejected by his mother after birth. The macaque, born on 26 July 2025 at Ichikawa City Zoo, was raised by keepers Shikano Kosuke and Miyakoshi Shumpei. They tried various items to calm him before finding that an IKEA orangutan plush toy seemed to do the trick. Later, online users started calling it "Orang Mama".
Images of Punch hugging the toy went viral, and the monkey soon became unexpectedly famous. In January 2026, zoo staff slowly began introducing him to the rest of the troop. Visitors followed the process closely as Punch adjusted to life with the other monkeys. Older monkeys sometimes put him in his place, but he became popular for his energetic and curious behaviour.
Investigators said Dyson climbed over a fence while wearing a yellow costume, then jumped roughly 4 metres into the enclosure housing Punch the monkey. Duane was reportedly filming the incident. Zoo staff eventually restrained Dyson before handing both men over to the police.
Punch drew attention across Japan after photos emerged of the young monkey clinging tightly to a stuffed toy. He had been rejected by his mother after birth. The macaque, born on 26 July 2025 at Ichikawa City Zoo, was raised by keepers Shikano Kosuke and Miyakoshi Shumpei. They tried various items to calm him before finding that an IKEA orangutan plush toy seemed to do the trick. Later, online users started calling it "Orang Mama".
Images of Punch hugging the toy went viral, and the monkey soon became unexpectedly famous. In January 2026, zoo staff slowly began introducing him to the rest of the troop. Visitors followed the process closely as Punch adjusted to life with the other monkeys. Older monkeys sometimes put him in his place, but he became popular for his energetic and curious behaviour.
American Man Arrested After Entering Monkey Enclosure in Yellow Costume
Two intruders claiming to be Americans climbed into Punch the monkey's compound on Sunday morning, one wearing a yellow costume while the other filmed, causing a disturbing scene at Ichikawa City Zoo in Chiba.
newsonjapan.com
