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Two Americans were arrested in Japan over the weekend after one tried getting a little too close to the social media sensation, Punch the monkey.A 24-year-old college student and 27-year-old singer were arrested on Sunday, May 17, after the former climbed into the monkey enclosure at Ichikawa City Zoo, the Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported. The man who climbed into the enclosure was wearing a costume with an emoji face mask. The zoo confirmed the intrusion in an X post made on May 17.The enclosure is home to Punch, a baby macaque monkey that went viral earlier this year for carting around a stuffed orangutan.The two Americans face charges of forcible obstruction of business, the Ichikawa Police Department told the AFP. They did not have formal identifications and initially tried to lie about their names, AFP reported.USA TODAY reached out to Ichikawa City for more information.Animals are safe, unhurt, zoo sharesIn an X post made on Monday, May 18, the Ichikawa City Zoo said "no abnormalities" were observed in any of the animals following the intrusion.The zoo said in another X post it is considering a ban on filming at the monkey enclosure to prevent any similar incidents occurring in the future. At this time, requests for filming projects at the zoo will be put on hold, the zoo said.Who is Punch the monkey?A baby macaque monkey, Punch was abandoned by his mother "as soon as he was born" in July 2025. Ichikawa City Zoo staff raised him in her absence and to help him cope, gifted him a stuffed orangutan.For months, photos and videos of Punch with his orangutan and interacting with other monkeys in his exhibit went viral. IKEA's Djungelskog, which appears to be the same stuffed orangutan loved by Punch, quickly sold out online and one man even had Punch immortalized with a tattoo.Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@usatoday.com.
