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#IkeaMonkey: Where is he now?

Five things we learned about Darwin from the morning papers

Five things we’ve learned about #IkeaMonkey from the morning papers:

1. His name is Darwin and he is a five-month-old rhesus macaque.

2. Owner Yasmin Nakhuda is a Toronto real estate lawyer. As she explained to the Star, she first encountered the monkey when she agreed to watch the animal for someone else. “It was a babysitting experience that turned into a fatal attraction and put me where I am,” she told the paper. Turns out the monkey wouldn’t leave her side.

3. In posts that accompany YouTube videos of her charge, Nakhuda describes caring for her monkey-baby: “He has to be with me all the time which means he goes with me to the office, sleeps with me, eats with me, showers with me, goes shopping with me . . .”

In this YouTube video, Darwin is captured exploring Nakhuda’s office. (“Hey, I am a working mom,” Nakhuda explains. “Do you own a monkey too? I’d love to have tips for helping Darwin to be a happy monkey. Feel free to share.”)

In this video, Darwin shows off his Halloween costume:

Here, he gets ready for bed:

4. Darwin’s new home is Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary in Sunderland, Ont., where he has been paired with a “motherly” monkey. “We were relieved that he was coming to a place where his needs are going to be met first,” sanctuary founder Sherri Delaney told the National Post.

5. Darwin’s former owners have been fined $240 for owning an exotic pet.

 

 

 

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