Overview
- At Ichikawa City Zoo outside Tokyo, a costumed visitor climbed into the macaque habitat on Sunday as an associate filmed, and staff quickly detained both without any contact with the animals.
- The case advanced on Tuesday when police referred the two Americans to prosecutors on suspicion of forcible obstruction of business, a charge both men deny.
- Police and multiple outlets identified the pair as Reid Jahnai Dayson, 24, who entered the enclosure, and Neal Jabahri Duan, 27, who filmed, and officers said they lacked IDs and first gave false names.
- The zoo said it ran safety checks, filed a damage report with police, and reported no abnormalities in Punch or the roughly 60 other macaques housed in the exhibit.
- Officials are expanding viewing limits, installing intrusion‑prevention nets, and posting constant patrols, and the zoo is weighing a full ban on photography near the enclosure after Punch’s viral fame drew heavy crowds and risky behavior.