Baby Monkey Wearing Shearling Coat Spotted Wandering Around Toronto Ikea

Who takes their monkey to Ikea?

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Photo credit: dzd_lisa / Instagram

Amid the carbon-copied TV stands and self-assembled couches at a Toronto Ikea, a master of style was spotted this weekend, in the form of a baby monkey wearing a fitted shearling coat.

The 7-month-old Rhesus Macaque, sporting the beige coat and a diaper, was found wandering near the Swedish furniture store on Sunday afternoon, reports CBC News.

Shoppers first spotted the tiny creature in the upper-level parking lot. “It was the weirdest thing,” said Stephanie Yim, who saw the tiny monkey peering at her from behind another car. “I thought I was going insane,” she told CBC. Her photos, outlandish as they may be, now grace the website of the CBC.

She and other shoppers began to tail the animal, who was apparently dressed for the near freezing temperatures in a tan double-breasted shearling coat, as it raced around the parking lot. “It would start monkey-screaming,” said Yim. “It seemed like it was screaming around for someone [it] know. It was sad.” The shoppers got in touch with Ikea staff, who managed to confine the monkey until animal services arrived.

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The owners of the macaque were eventually found — they had been shopping in Ikea when the monkey escaped. Police say the animal had been left it a car in the lot, but had managed to free itself from its crate and get out of the vehicle. “It’s a smart monkey,” police Sgt. Ed Dzingala told the CBC.

It’s against the law to keep monkeys as pets in Toronto, and the owners have been charged and fined $240. They will not get their macaque back, according to Tom Podolec of CTV News, who also tweets that the baby monkey is “in good health” but “stressed,” and that the “jacket is wool and said to be his favourite.”

Unsurprisingly, this little simian has gone viral on Twitter. One user, @broniwyn, posted one of the first Tweets about the Ikea monkey.

[tweet http://twitter.com/broniewyn/status/277864528950218753%5D

[tweet http://twitter.com/broniewyn/status/277934362639626240%5D

Two spoof Twitter accounts have been set up, including @IKEAmonkey. Given this monkey’s boldness, we predict there will be some tweets detailing the perils of captivity — or perhaps even some fashion advice.

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