2 Americans fined for trespassing into monkey Punch's enclosure at Japanese zoo
Two U.S. nationals were each fined 300,000 yen ($1,876) on Friday for trespassing into the enclosure of Punch, a Japanese macaque that gained online fame for cuddling an orangutan plush toy at a zoo near Tokyo, Kyodo reported.
According to the Chiba District Public Prosecutors Office, the men were summarily indicted for obstructing the zoo's operations, a procedure that allows prosecutors to seek fines through a court order without a full trial. Both men have paid the fines.
Punch, born in July, was abandoned by his mother and later given an orangutan plush toy by zookeepers for comfort. The zoo's social media updates about the young macaque attracted widespread attention and increased visitor numbers.
The two men were arrested on May 17 after allegedly climbing over a fence and entering the monkey habitat at Ichikawa City Zoo in Chiba Prefecture. Authorities said one man scaled the fence while wearing a character costume, while the other recorded the incident on a smartphone from outside the enclosure.