OSHAWA, Ont. – An Oshawa, Ont., judge ordered Friday that Darwin, the “Ikea monkey,” must stay at the Story Book primate sanctuary over the Christmas holidays, but that his former owner will be allowed regular visits.
The judge said it’s a temporary order until he hears the case on Jan. 31, 2013.
Justice Michael Brown also ordered that Yasmin Nakuda be allowed regular visits, and that’s what the two sides are currently negotiating.
He told Nakuda he understands her disappointment, but for now, the best place for Darwin is at Story Book.
He also said it appears that the monkey is being well taken care of the sanctuary.
Justice Brown added that since it’s a short period of time, he does not think it will cause irreparable harm to Darwin’s relationship with his former owner.
He also reminded Nakuda that Darwin is not a child, and therefore this is not a child custody case but rather a possession of property case.
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I beleive if she had the monkey this long and took good care of the animal, why shouldn’t she be qualified to take care, I think all you people are jealous and you wish you could have your own pet monkey, give the lady her monkey back, make her pay for licensing or monkey business training and keep it quiet so everybody in the city doesn’t go for monkey business.
I have no pity for this loony toons – she, not the monkey should be locked up. People who keep exotic poets are very selfish. these animals are not used to living in houses, they had families of their own species before and have been removed from them to accommodate some rich person’s whim.
I certainly hope that the ruling goes against her – why an exception for her and for this particular exotic pet? I say what others have said – what next? Tiger cub, small elephant, bear? Puleeze, give me a break.
Funny you should mention the woman claiming to be the monkey’s mother as mentally ill. I have been saying this all along. Has any news reporter covering this story actually mentioned this?
Good. Doesn’t matter if she’s moves or not. It was illegal when she got him. Mr judge can I have my money & car back as I stopped speeding now. How did the monkey get out of the car? Where was she? She had to know better being a liar.
When you go to court you have to have “clean hands”. As she obtained the monkey illegally in the first place….doesn’t sound like clean hands to me and she should NOT get the monkey back.
Please make sure she is paying for all court time and don’t waste a single cent or our tax dollar on this stupid issue.
It’s a flippin’ MONKEY for crying out loud!! Why is this even news?!?!?!?!?
It’s not a child or a domestic animals. We shouldn’t have the right to take wild animals away from their natural habitat. This crazy woman needs a reality check. She acts like it’s a human baby. She’s obviously not a mother because mothers should do what’s best for their children, not themselves.
The mother must be mentally ill.
Dear Riesling: I agree with your comments 100%. Well said.
Non-human primates are illegal for a reason. CDC has published a research article stating that it is unsuitable for Macaque monkeys to be pets.
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/4/1/98-0117_article.htm
There are cases that the owners that had them as “child-substitutes”, which is the same motive of Nakhuda, got bitten and contracted diseases. It was extremely lucky that when the monkey was in Ikea, it didn’t bite anyone as it was apparently under tremedous amount of stress.
I hope the judge rules against her or he/she simply set a bad precedent for owning exotic animals. So next time it is ok for anyone to own a lion cub?
If this lady gets her monley back, I think I will ask for one of the elephants from the Toronto zoo. My backyard is big enough, the elephants can eat my grass and get water from my pool. I am terribly sorry to advise this, but monkeys are not meant to be pets. They are not bred to be pets, they are not sold at pet stores. I am sure peoples thoughts would be different if this monkey had actually attacked a child while in ikea, or possibly had some sort of disease that spread to people. This monkey deserves to be in the wild with other monkeys or at least in a sanctuary where is can live as a monkey, not like a human. I hope the courts uphold the law so this lady can move out of city, we have enough nutjobs out there already.
To those of you who sympathize with her, consider that there are reasons things become a law or even a bylaw. Somewhere in the distant past this same issue probably came up and it was proven that wild animals shouldn’t be kept as pets in a city. Diseases, lack of enough facilities when said exotic gets too big and neurotic to be kept in a home, etc. Isn’t this woman’s hysterical theatrics enough to convince you that she is slightly imbalanced and shouldn’t be trusted to have pets period? If the courts let her have this one, it opens the door for other people who think a monkey would make a great pet. Perhaps even a viper, a baboon, alligator, etc. I feel for the real Mom who lost her baby a few months ago because of a human predator.
so what things change, new laws and bylaws get made up every year or so, treat the monkey, cure the diseases make her pay and take a few courses and everybody will have something else to complain about and move on.
Well said.
The case before the Court is a complete waste of taxpayers’ money.
Reading this article, it seems the decision is already made against her. The judge has not rule yet, why everyone against her. One person throw the stone, everyone follows….
I can understand why this woman wants the monkey, she’s part “raccoon” herself! Who taught her about eye makeup? Tammy Faye Baker or Avril Lavigne? The smartest thing that monkey did was bolt from her. Some people will do anything for they’re 5 mins. of fame…give it up lady!!!
Please give her Monkey back. If you lost your dog, don’t you want him back? What is wrong in our society. Respect other people rights. Just because some people want to put him on a cage and go and see it, it does not make it OK to take the animal away from the owner. Be Fair
Hello ??!? Dogs are LEGAL, monkeys are NOT… What part of ILLEGAL do you not understand?!?
As a society, we have set standards that we define with Law… Is this lady ‘special’ in some way that you think it is OK for the courts to give Darwin back – effectively saying that the law is for everyone else, but not her ?!? -shakes head-
Umm… what makes it okay to take the animal away is that it was illegal for her to have a monkey in the first place. That’s why it was taken away, not because ‘people want to put him in a cage and go and see it.’
If she is really the mom, I appeal to the court to agree with her on that, and keep Darwin and his mom Nakhuda both to be kept in the same safe place, the Zoooooooooooo. Cause both of them belong there.
The courts cannot allow her to have the monkey back – it is against the law – end of story. There are some comments saying that comparing this little monkey to a lion is outrageous but it is in fact a wild animal and they are completely unpredictable – frankly even dogs and cats who have been domesticated for centuries can attack without provocation so to allow this wild animal (regardless of how small, cute, ‘humanlike’) it is would be a disaster. And I do pity this poor woman – she definitely has a mental health issue that needs to be addressed. (“anyone who has not owned a primate has no idea how close to humans they are” – please lady – go get help – you are obviously delusional)
OMG, i hope this woman is not married!! I would divorce her in a nanosecond !!
a) It is illegal in Toronto (did she do her homework when she got the monkey??)
b) she left it unattended in a vehicle (and she says “it’s my baby, I am the mom) THAT’S CHILD
ABUSE
c) If the courts side with her,,,,What a PRECEDENT, go ahead and take your Alligators, lions etc
to Ikea !!
agreed with everyone’s comments that it’s Nakhuda who should be locked up.
the delusions she preaches about being the monkey’s mother are rediculous. Darwin was taken from his real (same species) mother and Nakhuda is nothing more than someone with more money than sense.
I just hope the courts do the right thing and keep Darwin under the care of the animal sanctuary, otherwise, returning him to Yasmin “Nut Job” Nakhuda would set a precedent allowing others to follow suit keeping even more dangerous species and animals as pets.
Did anyone ever see photos of the woman in the U.S. who was attacked by her friend’s monkey? It literally ripped her face off! They are wild and unpredictable animals! And that woman is a lunatic. She thinks she is the monkey’s mother? The baby monkey should be with its mother, who is also a monkey. Who stole it from its real mother?
This monkey is a PRIMATE. They should NOT be pets. This woman is a LOON and should be locked up herself.
All this over a little hairy thing walking around a store wearing a shearling jacket and a diaper…
At Walmart, they call that Tuesday.
I am not sure leaving your pet in the car when temperatures are “cold” is animal abuse. I have a dog, who gets dressed in two full layers of winter gear and yes, I have left her in the car during the Winter. Not for long periods, but when I get back, she is fine. She isn’t shivering or crying. She is sleeping soundly on the front seat. I WOULD NEVER do this in the heat, but from my experience, a reasonable amount of time in the car, in the Winter, is fine. I personally feel that this Monkey is accustomed to being a pet. Monkeys are very sensitive and I am guessing being in the zoo isn’t the best place for him since he is used to being cared for by a human. I think comparing a tiny monkey to a lion is a little outrageous….a monkey can do much less harm than some breeds of dogs out there.
It may not be that cold to a dog but most domesticated animals are acclimated. Monkeys do not come from any sort of cold weather climate. Just because you are a responsible pet owner does not mean everyone is. I understand the argument that it is a reasonable amount of time but does anyone know for sure how long this woman was shopping for? Would you leave your dog in it’s carrier locked in the car? If you have to put your pet in a carrier, to take it in the car, shouldn’t logic dictate that it can not behave well in the car and should not be taken for a “car ride”? I have cats and a dog. My cats, although they may want to come with me, do not travel well in a car. Being as such they would have to go in a carrier. Why would I want to take them with me? The dog get’s belted into the back seat with a harness. He knows that is where he is to go if he is in the car with me but I do not take him with me if I am going shopping. What may be a reasonable time for me may not be for him. You can easily lose track of time and be longer than expected. A car can easily get too cold, as too hot. I really don’t understand people’s need to take their pets with them everywhere.
Has anyone really listened to this woman in any of the radio or t.v. news reports. She sounds like she is in need of psychological counselling. She keep referring to herself as the monkey’s mother?
Maybe they did make a mistake locking up the monkey. It should have been the other way around.
Why does everyone feel sorry for this woman? She is housing a WILD ANIMAL. Would we all feel sorry for her if it was a Lion, Tiger, Bear, Wolf, etc.? Even if we were to take that out of the equation she has her “beloved pet” locked in the car. IN THE COLD!!!! We get upset people lock their pets in the car in the heat, the cold is just as dangerous for them. How does locking your pet in a car make you a responsible pet owner? You know you can not take them in the store. Why do you have them with you? She should not be allowed to have the Monkey back. She is a bad pet owner who thinks it’s ok to break the rules and get away with it.
Did anyone listen to that woman when they took away the monkey? One has to wonder if they made a mistake locking up the monkey.
If this woman is the ‘mom’ I shudder to think what the ‘dad’ looks like.
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