Custody battle over Darwin the Ikea monkey comes to an end

TORONTO – Darwin the Ikea Monkey will remain at his home in an animal sanctuary after a legal appeal by his former owner Yasmin Nakhuda to get him back was dismissed.

Nakhuda had appealed an Ontario Superior Court judge’s ruling that found Darwin is a wild animal and should not be returned to the woman calling herself his “mom.”

Darwin made international headlines when he was found inside a Toronto Ikea store in December 2012 wearing a shearling coat.

Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary(SBFPS), Darwin’s new home, and its owner Sherri Delaney, brought the motion forward to dismiss the appeal.

“Unfortunately, Darwin was imprinted by humans in his early and formative months which rarely bodes well for a monkey,” said Delaney, in a statement. “When he arrived at the sanctuary, Darwin was very insecure and needed to be the centre of everyone’s attention. He was sheltered from our other monkeys until he got used to his surroundings.”

In January, Nakhuda was ordered to pay $83,000 to cover the legal costs of the sanctuary after she sued.

The sanctuary reports Darwin is doing well.

“With this matter finally behind us, SBFPS’s dedicated team of volunteers will ramp up efforts to address Canada’s exotic pet trade and raise awareness of the untold harm countless primates are being subjected to,” Delaney said.

The sanctuary has created a Facebook page for Darwin where visitors can monitor his progress.