Pankun
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Pankun, (sometimes spelled pan-kun) is a young chimpanzee in Japan often featured on the NTV television show "Tensai! Shimura Doubutsu-en" ("天才！志村動物園", lit. "Genius! Shimura Zoo") and the TBS program "Doubutsu Kisou Tengai!" ("動物園奇想天外!", lit. "Unbelievable Animals!"). Most of the segments feature him and his bulldog friend, James, embarking on a variety of "human" tasks, like buying groceries, planting a rice paddy, or catching insects.
Pankun is now owned by Cuddly Dominion, a Zoo located beside the volcano Aso San, in the Kumamoto Prefecture of Kyushu. After moving in, Pankun has turned into the main event of the zoo, featuring daily stage shows of various themes in Japanese.
The show has also been translated into international versions; for Nick in India as "The Munnabhai Show", for JET TV in Taiwan (狗狗猩猩大冒險) , for Modern Nine in Thailand (ขำกลิ้งลิงกับหมา) and TVB in Hong Kong (阿笨與阿占) as "The Adventures of Pan and James: Chimpanzee and Bulldog on Errands," winning Best Foreign Purchased Program at the 2006 TVB Anniversary Awards.
