Ikea Monkey

2022 - 12 - 10

Post cover — Image courtesy of "CP24 Toronto's Breaking News"

Where is the Ikea monkey 10 years later? (CP24 Toronto's Breaking News)

Darwin seen in an Ikea wearing a winter coat and a diaper in 2012 (Bronwyn Page) and at Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary in 2022 (Supplied). Share: ...

he always has the freedom,” Liepa said. But now, surrounded by 25 other monkeys and lemurs in his Sunderland, Ont. Until he arrived, she says the sanctuary believes he was never around other animals. “His previous owner took him on a leash with her to the office. Imagine for a 6-month-old human baby what it’s like to just be plunked somewhere else,” Liepa said. But Daina Liepa, executive director of Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary, said he’s spent his time since indulging in a contrasting trait: shyness.

10 Years Later, The Ikea Monkey Is Thriving (BuzzFeed News)

On Dec. 9, 2012, a woman shopping at an Ikea in Toronto saw an unusual customer: a Japanese snow macaque. A photo she took of the monkey balefully staring ...

A photo she took of the monkey balefully staring out the glass door in a little shearling coat blitzed across the internet, and a meme was born: the Ikea monkey. “[Darwin] can go outside when he wants to, to an outdoor enclosure with other monkeys, or stay indoors with other kinds of enrichment we have for him,” Liepa said. When Darwin first came to the sanctuary, the staff gave him extra attention and food to help him acclimate. Story Book Farm currently has 26 primates total — a mix of lemurs, baboons, and Japanese macaques like Darwin. Ten years later, Darwin the monkey is living his best monkey life. 9, 2012, a woman shopping at an Ikea in Toronto saw an unusual customer: a Japanese snow macaque.

Here's what Darwin the Toronto IKEA monkey is up to 10 years later (CityNews Toronto)

On Dec. 9, 2012, IKEA employees discovered Darwin, a Japanese macaque, wearing a winter jacket and became concerned for the animal.

A decade ago, Darwin the Ikea monkey made headlines around the ... (Toronto Star)

Darwin was captured by Toronto Animal Services and identified as a Japanese rhesus macaque, an illegal breed in Ontario. His owner, a Toronto real-estate lawyer ...

Little Darwin is hardly the only exotic pet in captivity — he just happened to get caught. Rosemary Collard, an assistant professor of geography at Montreal’s Concordia University, has spent years investigating the trade in live exotic animals. He escaped from a locked crate in his owner’s car and [into the history books](https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2017/08/07/ikea-monkey-dart-guy-immortalized-on-downtown-toronto-mural.html), becoming an instant meme and capturing the attention of media outlets around the world. “Through being able to see and interact with the other guys, he’s growing into a healthy, confident adolescent.” Ontario Superior Court justice rules that Darwin is a wild animal and that Nakhuda’s ownership ended with his escape from her car. [Darwin the Ikea monkey, primate sanctuary getting evicted](https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2015/04/14/darwin-the-ikea-monkey-primate-sanctuary-getting-evicted.html) Sherri Delaney, president and owner of Story Book Farm primate sanctuary, testifies that Darwin is growing stronger by the day. Court hears from animal control officer David Behan, who has 28 years’ worth of experience. The suit also claimed that Toronto Animal Services had no right to seize the pet. Yasmin Nakhuda, now suing Story Book Farm primate sanctuary, testifies that she was misled into signing Darwin away. For the next 15 months, Nakhuda fought to get Darwin back. Darwin was captured by Toronto Animal Services and identified as a Japanese rhesus macaque, an illegal breed in Ontario.

10 years since IKEA Monkey became a global phenomenon (Toronto Sun)

On Dec. 9, 2012, a monkey won the hearts of Torontonians. Where is he, a decade later?

“Darwin was out Christmas shopping and became a worldwide sensation.” In case you are wondering, all the monkeys are spayed or neutered. Darwin was taken into the custody of Toronto Animal Services.

We caught up with the infamous Ikea monkey a decade later ... (Daily Hive)

Daily Hive chatted with Daina Liepa, the executive director of Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary, where the Ikea monkey now calls home.

“He is actually the shyest of all our monkeys and lemurs at the sanctuary,” she explained. “He will vocalize, we will talk, so it’s it’s nice to see that he is feeling more comfortable around some people.” “The critical thing is that he’s free to do whatever he wants to do,” said Liepa. Liepa says he was used to being taken wherever Nakhuda wanted him to go on a leash. Darwin’s day to-day life at the sanctuary, which currently has 25 residents, is perfectly peaceful for a primate. He’s free to make his own decisions.” “It’s hard to know why. Friday marks the 10th anniversary of this bizarre incident. “At the sanctuary, he was able to see the behaviours of other monkeys and perhaps learn that he was a monkey,” she said. “They agreed at the time to take him, and he came with a shearling coat,” she said. “Umm saw a monkey in the Umm saw a monkey in the

Ikea monkey's fate revealed 10 years after he went viral (New York Post)

Darwin turned out to be a fitting name for the "Ikea monkey," who survived Internet fame, a contentious court battle and a move to a new home.

But after some time, Darwin was able to hang. Animal control took possession, and he was taken to the sanctuary. “He was sheltered from the other monkeys until he got used to his surroundings.” “He was very insecure upon arrival, and needed to be the center of everyone’s attention,” the shelter said, as reported by The sanctuary noted that Darwin had been “imprinted by humans” as a baby, admitting that “rarely bodes well” for a monkey. The sanctuary recalled that Darwin “came from a life at the end of a leash wearing clothes and a diaper” to a life where he can play outside with his prime mates.