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The Ichikawa City Zoo in Chiba prefecture is considering a total ban on photography and filming around its monkey enclosure following a recent security breach involving the viral Japanese macaque known as Punch
The zoo has already taken immediate steps to prevent future incidents by expanding the buffer zone around the enclosure and installing anti-intrusion netting.
These measures follow an incident on Sunday, 17 May, where two individuals, claiming to be Americans, allegedly trespassed into the habitat.
The incident involved a 24-year-old student and a 27-year-old singer who were arrested on suspicion of forcible obstruction of business and referred to prosecutors on Tuesday, 19 May
Police allege that the younger man, dressed in a character costume, scaled a fence and dropped into the concrete enclosure while the older man recorded the act from outside the fence using a smartphone.
Takashi Yasunaga, the head of the municipal government's zoological and botanical garden division, condemned the actions, stating that the stunt endangered the animals' health and the zoo staff's safety.
Punch initially gained international fame after being abandoned by his mother in July and subsequently clinging to an orangutan plushie provided by zookeepers as a substitute
While he began integrating with other monkeys in the enclosure in January, the zoo's regular social media updates on his progress have driven significant online attention and high visitor numbers.
Officials are now determined to implement stricter measures to ensure the safety of their animals and prevent similar stunts from occurring in the future.
