Why 2 Americans Were Arrested in Japan After Visiting Punch the Baby Monkey
We all remember Punch, the adorable baby macaque who was rejected by his mother and found comfort in an IKEA orangutan stuffed animal at the Ichikawa Zoo in Ichikawa, Japan. The baby monkey quickly became a viral sensation for his touching story and his sweet attachment to his stuffie, so much so that people from all over the world started visiting his enclosure in droves.
Well, some people decided to take their visit to Punch's enclosure a bit too far. And I'm no lawyer, but what these two Americans just did seems like a very bad idea!
2 Americans Arrested at the Ichikawa Zoo
CBC News reported that two U.S. citizens were arrested on Sunday at the Ichikawa Zoo after climbing into Punch's zoo enclosure. The Ichikawa Police Department identified the suspects as Reid Jahnai Dayson, 24, and Neal Jabahri Duan, 27.
According to reports, Dayson allegedly climbed over a fence and jumped into the dry moat surrounding the monkey exhibit while Duan allegedly filmed him. Dayson was wearing a costume with a smiley face head with sunglasses and a blue outfit, causing the monkeys to flee.
Per a statement from an official with the Ichikawa Police to the French news agency AFP, the men did not get close to the monkeys and were quickly apprehended by zoo officials.
Dayson and Duan face charges of forcible obstruction of business, which they refute, the police official told AFP.
Because of the men's behavior, the Ichikawa Zoo shared a post on X on Monday that starting on Tuesday, access to see Punch's enclosure would be restricted, with "intrusion prevention nets" installed and permanent patrols at the site beginning soon. Zoo managers are also discussing the potential to ban video recording, according to another X post.
Fans of Punch are upset by the news, especially because it means no more live-streaming either.
"Please don't make it no-filming! Or, at least, please do a live stream on YouTube. That way, we can still see Punchi," begged one X user in response to Ichikawa Zoo's post about restricted access to Punch's enclosure.
Related: Baby Monkey Befriends Plushie, Just Like Viral Punch the Monkey
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This story was originally published May 18, 2026 at 12:20 PM.