Was he doing his Christmas shopping? Well-dressed monkey in a winter coat and diapers escapes car and heads to Ikea



An unaccompanied monkey wearing a stylish winter coat and a diaper surprised Sunday shoppers at a Toronto Ikea.

The fashionable rhesus macaque, sporting a miniature shearling jacket, was first spotted in the parking lot, before roaming around and eventually being cornered inside the store.

Police believe that the pet had been in a car before escaping from both a crate and the vehicle to look around Ikea. Canadian police said: 'It's a smart monkey.'

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Warm and dry: The monkey that visited Ikea was wearing a thick winter coat and a diaper

Darwins law: The Ikea monkey is back in the news, this time as a court battle rages over who owns him

Shopper Bronwyn Page told Toronto CTVNews of when she spotted the unusual customer outside the store: 'We saw a crowd of people and a little animal and I was like ‘oh my gosh it’s a monkey.’

Page first believed that the seven-month-old animal was fake but discovered otherwise when the monkey showed signs of distress.

'It started darting all over the place. It was scared.'

She added: 'It was very bizarre to see a real live monkey there. It was really small and just funny dressed in the coat.'

Unusual customer: The monkey was first spotted in Ikea's parking lot. The trial, set to continue June 10 and 11 will determine who owns Darwin

Distress: Owner Nakhuda says authorities tricked her into giving up ownership of Darwin after he escaped into Ikea, though she knew it was illegal to have him in Toronto

Toronto animal services eventually caught the monkey inside the store.

The primate's owners, who had been shopping in Ikea, came forward after the incident. They now face $240 fine for having an illegal pet.



The rhesus macaque species is not endangered but it is against the law to keep the animal in Ontario.

The monkey remains in the care of animal services but is said to have recovered from its stressful shopping experience and is in good health.

News of a monkey in a coat visiting Ikea quickly went viral on social networks. On Twitter, #Ikeamonkey trended and there are least two parody accounts. There is also an Ikea Monkey page on Facebook.

A new internet meme also developed, with the warm and smart monkey being depicted in a range of unlikely situations.

Internet craze: The Ikea monkey was celebrated online and depicted in a range of different scenarios. Here he takes a trip to Toronto's CN Tower

Political adviser: On this occasion the famous macaque helps out Toronto's mayor Rob Ford

VIDEO: Dapper monkey shocks shoppers at IKEA