Sanctuary housing the Ikea monkey ‘needs’ a new home

The Ontario sanctuary where Darwin the Ikea monkey lives is looking for a new home and is using the famous monkey in its fundraising campaign.

The cute monkey garnered headlines and sparked a social media frenzy when he escaped from his owner’s car in an Ikea parking lot in Toronto in December 2012.

Darwin was found wandering in the lot wearing a shearling coat and later sent to the Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary in Sunderland, Ont. after his owner, Yasmin Nakhuda, lost a lengthy legal battle.

The Japanese macaque has lived at the sanctuary ever since. But now the sanctuary is relocating and using Darwin in its online fundraising drive.

In an Indiegogo fundraising campaign, Story Book said the sanctuary must move by spring 2015 due to changes to their “human family situation.”

The owners have their eyes on a 22-hectare property valued at $930,000 and they’re giving themselves until Dec. 31 to raise the $490,000 needed to purchase and operate the new space.

The new sanctuary would have indoor/outdoor enclosures and come with 20 other monkeys to add to Story Book’s existing collection.

As of Thursday afternoon, the campaign, dubbed #DarwinsDream, had raised $3,250.

With files from The Canadian Press

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