Two US nationals were arrested by Japanese authorities after one of them entered the monkey enclosure at Ichikawa City Zoo while the other recorded the stunt.
Police identified the intruder as 24-year-old Reid Jahnai Daysun, who reportedly climbed over a fence to get into the enclosure, and 27-year-old Neal Jabahri Duan, who filmed the incident.
Video circulating online shows Daysun dressed in a blue suit with a smiling emoji head as he climbed into the area where the young monkey known as Punch is kept. Clips of the encounter spread quickly on social media.
Zoo staff detained the men shortly after they entered the enclosure. Both suspects have denied the allegations, according to reports.
Authorities say no animals were harmed during the incident.
The episode attracted heightened attention because Punch, a baby monkey at Ichikawa City Zoo, went viral in February after the zoo posted photos of him with a large orangutan plush toy when his mother was seen rejecting him. The zoo has drawn many domestic and international visitors since Punch became popular online.
