The Ikea monkey was spotted 10 years ago. This is where he is now
A monkey cloaked in a tiny shearling coat was found roaming an Ikea in Toronto 10 years ago to date and in that time, he’s regained his freedom, his current owner says.
Dubbed the “Ikea Monkey,” Darwin, a Japanese macaque, was around six months old when he escaped from his crate, unlocked his owner’s car door and walked out into the Ikea parking lot in North York on Dec. 9, 2012.
The rarity of the sighting aroused international headlines, placing Darwin in the spotlight. But Daina Liepa, executive director of Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary, said he’s spent his time since indulging in a contrasting trait: shyness.
“His previous owner took him on a leash with her to the office. As I see it, now he has the choice and that’s the choice he makes,” Liepa said.
After Darwin’s Ikea outing, his former owner was charged for having a prohibited animal in the city and faced a $240 fine.
When animals are bred for the exotic animal trade, they are taken away from their mothers from almost the moment they are born, Liepa explained. Until he arrived, she says the sanctuary believes he was never around other animals.
“He was understandably very shy when he came to us. Imagine for a 6-month-old human baby what it’s like to just be plunked somewhere else,” Liepa said.
But now, surrounded by 25 other monkeys and lemurs in his Sunderland, Ont., home, he has the agency and mentorship that seemed to be absent in the early days of his life.
Darwin in a recent photo at Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary (Supplied).
“The big difference of him being at [a] sanctuary is he can go inside and outside when he likes … he always has the freedom,” Liepa said.
She noted that over the course of the last decade, little has changed about the laws surrounding exotic animal ownership in Ontario.
Currently, the province bans orcas and pit bulls as pets, but thousands of other exotic animals, including tigers, lions and venomous snakes are permitted, as long as they are not banned by municipalities.
Darwin at Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary in 2022 (Supplied).
But as for Darwin, Liepa said he’s come a long way.
“Darwin came from a life at the end of a leash wearing clothes and a diaper to a life where he chooses when he wants to go outdoors in the company of other monkeys.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.
Wildfire leads to evacuation order issued for northeast Alberta community
An evacuation order was issued on Monday afternoon for homes in the area of Cold Lake First Nation.