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The story
Pan-kun, the chimpanzee who won nationwide popularity on the TV show ‘Genius! Shimura’s Zoo,’ appeared alongside his longtime trainer Atsushi Miyazawa in ABEMA’s documentary series ‘NO MAKE,’ and the revelation that he’s now 25 years old became a hot topic. In August 2012, right after a stage show, Pan-kun bit a 20-something female trainee, leaving her with injuries that took months to heal, and he retired from performing on the spot. Online, talk has spread that he’s ‘gone feral’ or ‘turned violent,’ but on 5ch opinion split over whether this is simply a natural change due to age or a failure of management on the zoo’s part.
2026-10-15 07:05
Pan-kun, the chimpanzee who became a national sensation on shows like ‘Genius! Shimura’s Zoo,’ and his longtime trainer, animal trainer Atsushi Miyazawa, appeared together in ABEMA’s original up-close documentary series ‘NO MAKE.’
Born in October 2001, Pan-kun was hand-raised from shortly after birth. Animal trainer Miyazawa became his adoptive caretaker when Pan-kun was two, and from 2004 he appeared on ‘Genius! Shimura’s Zoo,’ where his perfectly-timed back-and-forth with comedian Ken Shimura, plus segments running errands alongside the bulldog James, made him a beloved national celebrity.
Source: oricon.co.jp / Read the original article here
What people said
Shimura caught a lot of flak over this too, even on the sports/entertainment board back then.
Seems like Shimura defended him and got criticized for it.
Bonobos are supposedly the gentle ones though.
Gorillas are the gentle ones, yet one of them got shot dead at a US zoo — that was genuinely sickening. (likely referring to Harambe)
Bonobos hunt monkeys too, you know.
I really hate that 'Pukey's' act that belongs to this zoo too.
Pan-kun's no exception.
Apparently when their face starts turning black, that's the sign.
Seriously, Punch is pure comfort.
Or somewhere affiliated with it.
Humans are dangerous animals too, you know.
Compare him with Michael's crappy monkey (likely referring to Michael Jackson's chimp, Bubbles) and tell me which one's the more disgustingly over-humanized beast.
Miyazawa says 'he still trusts me,' but Pan-kun suddenly lets out these screams too.
Chimps are only cute while they're babies anyway.
Raccoons are already banned, you know. (exotic pet ownership is restricted in Japan)
Wait, seriously?
Around 4pm on August 3, 2012
Right after a show at 'Aso Farm Land's Cuddly Dominion,' Pan-kun suddenly got worked up while heading backstage
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He lunged at a 20-something female trainee standing near the dressing room
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Bit her face and legs, leaving injuries that took months to heal
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The show was cancelled on the spot, and he retired completely from performing right then
Months to heal on the face means the victim was in pretty bad shape.
She probably has lasting after-effects.
He inflicted injuries that took months to heal, so calling it 'turning violent' is accurate ⇒ Re: #50
Nippon TV probably just wants to cash in on this again.
That's one seriously vicious monkey.
Why don't they just put him down?
It's being kept completely under wraps.
Re: #58
A celebrity chimp like him probably isn't lonely.
It happened right after a show, after all.
He's basically turned into one of you guys.
The average age in Japan is 51.1, so that's about the same.
How old are you, grandpa? Still got some energy left.
Seriously, zero sense of gratitude or loyalty.
He's plenty intelligent.
It's just that he's a flawed creature that can never develop real affection for the people around him.
Background and Key Points of This Debate
The reason Pan-kun is being called ‘violent’ traces back to a real incident at Aso Farm Land’s Cuddly Dominion in August 2012. Right after a performance, he bit a 20-something female trainee and left her with injuries that took months to heal, after which he retired from the stage entirely. What split opinion on the thread was whether to view this as ‘a natural change that comes with age’ or as ‘a failure of management on the zoo’s part’ — some posters even defended him, suggesting he was simply recognizing Miyazawa as his alpha and disciplining him accordingly. One easy point of confusion is that phrases like ‘gone feral’ or ‘turned violent’ tend to take on a life of their own and fuel a worse image, even though it’s a well-documented biological fact that male chimpanzees grow stronger and more territorial as they reach sexual maturity. Rather than seeing this as some unique change specific to Pan-kun, it’s easier to understand as a case where traits inherent to the species simply surfaced within the context of being hand-raised by humans.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou-Sports Express+) thread ‘[Genius! Shimura’s Zoo] ‘Genius chimp’ Pan-kun’s trainer left puzzled by online claims he’s ‘gone feral’ or ‘turned violent’ — now 25 years old [Ailuropoda melanoleuca★].’
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