Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Videos: Ikea Monkey Won't Get To Spend Christmas With His Family
By
Ben Yakas
Published Dec 23, 2012
Modified Dec 23, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Yakas
Published Dec 23, 2012
Modified Dec 23, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Earlier this month, a little monkey wearing a smart coat was found wandering around an Ikea in Toronto, Canada. We'll never know whether Darwin the monkey was looking for a Stenstorp kitchen cart or a Klingsbo coffee table, but we do know he won't get to crawl around any Expedit shelving systems this Christmas: A judge has ruled that the monkey must stay at the sanctuary where it is now being held until at least mid-January. “How would you feel to see your child in a cage and be with him outside the cage?” said owner Yasmin Nakhuda’s husband, Sam, outside court.
Justice Michael Brown denied a request for weekend visitation away from the sanctuary, but said the family could visit him there—but the Nakhuda's were not having that. Sam told reporters that visiting the sanctuary would be “damaging to Darwin. I don’t know if human beings are capable of understanding this. I don’t know if the judge is capable of understanding this,” he said. “Darwin is not a dog, he’s not a cat, he’s not lizard. He’s 93 per cent human DNA.”
The judge definitely didn't understand that point: he called Darwin “personal property” and “not a human being,” and said the focus would be on “preserving” the property until a later date. Nakhuda was fined $240 (Canadian dollars) for keeping a prohibited animal. Barring any 'N Sync-inspired holiday miracles, it seems this'll be a sad one for Darwin. But at least he can take comfort in knowing that Andy Serkis is doing everything he can to change hearts and minds about monkeys.
Tagged
animals
canada
holidays
ikea
ikea monkey
illegal animals
pets
toronto
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .