The primate sanctuary that is home to 20 rescued monkeys, including Darwin the Ikea Monkey, says that its funding has dried up and an eviction date set for June could leave the animals homeless.
Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary is a volunteer-run, donation-funded facility in Sunderland, Ont., that has provided a home for 15 years to animals who were rescued from the exotic pet trade and biomedical experimentation.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the organization says that its property is being "sold from underneath them" and that they require a "financial miracle."
Volunteers currently look after 20 monkeys at the premises, who will be without a home when the group is evicted on June 30.
"It is the only sanctuary of its kind in Canada, and if it ceases to operate it is no exaggeration to say that the monkeys' lives will be in danger," said Daina Liepa, a spokeswoman for Story Book Farm.
"They have nowhere to go."
Liepa added that sanctuary needs $250,000 to fund a move to a new, bigger property nearby.
The farm has been home to Darwin, who was famously scooped up in a Toronto Ikea parting lot wearing a parka and a diaper, for two years.
Before the Japanese macaque was brought to the sanctuary he lived with Yasmin Nakhuda.
Darwin became the source of a heated court battle after he got loose from a crate in Nakhuda's car at Ikea in 2012.
Nakhuda ultimately lost possession of Darwin after an Ontario Superior Court judge ruled in September 2013 that the monkey is a wild animal. The judge said that Nakuda's ownership of the primate disappeared the minute Darwin made his escape.
