Darwin ‘the IKEA Monkey’ and other monkeys need rescuing again as sanctuary faces closure

WATCH ABOVE: Almost two dozen rescued monkeys at a primate sanctuary need rescuing again as the Ontario facility faces closure in June. Christina Stevens reports.

TORONTO – Almost two dozen rescued monkeys at a primate sanctuary need rescuing again as the Ontario facility faces closure in June.

Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary in Sunderland has been a permanent home for 20 primates, including famed Darwin (the “IKEA Monkey”) and Pockets Warhol, a capuchin who paints.

The primates have been rescued from the exotic pet trade and biomedical experimentation over the last 15 years.

The sanctuary said the farm “has been sold out from under them” and it’s being evicted from its current location so it needs a “financial miracle” to find a new home for the monkeys.

“Donations have dried up and the situation is desperate,” Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary said in a statement.

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Caroline Malins, who sits on Story Book Farm’s board of directors, told Global News the current fundraising goal is extremely important as Story Book Farm is the only sanctuary like it in Canada.

“I feel we have a very strong and committed team,” she said. “We do have members of the public who have reached out to give us assistance. And hopefully after this current fundraiser we’ll be able to have more people who want to come on board and to help us with building, moving and their expertise to make the sanctuary the way it should be for all primates in Canada.”

Primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall has pleaded for the public’s support.

“All Canadians can be proud of the work done by the Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary which rescues and cares for primates,” Goodall said in a statement. “They deserve our help…We’ve saved these monkeys’ lives once. Now we need to save them again.”

The sanctuary has set up a page using the crowdfunding site Tilt, where the public can make donations.

*With a file from Christina Stevens