Meanwhile, in Canada, a Monkey in a Winter Coat Escapes in an IKEA...
What looks like someone's pet monkey escaped Sunday and terrorized a Toronto IKEA, all while wearing a very stylish winter coat.
What looks like someone's pet monkey escaped Sunday and terrorized a Toronto IKEA, all while wearing a very stylish winter coat.
Seriously, we can't even make this stuff up. From what we can gather from reports on Twitter, the monkey ran loose in the department store for less than an hour. The CBC reports animal services were brought in to capture the monkey. It was brought in without any major incident.
Despite its fleeting freedom, the escaped style icon still captivated people on both sides of the border. There's already an IKEA Monkey parody account. Also, everyone seems to love the sight of an adorable monkey running free in a winter coat:
CHRISTMAS MIRACLE. RT @broniewyn: Umm saw a monkey in the #ikea parking lot. twitter.com/broniewyn/stat…
— Matt Elliott (@GraphicMatt) December 9, 2012
The IKEA monkey also drew comparisons to the subject of the last entry in our 'Meanwhile, in Canada,' series. You may remember the horse that wanted to enter the hotel:
Monkey, in a coat, running around an IKEA. 2 weeks ago, a horse went in a bank and a hotel. Americans just think we are making stuff up now.
— Dan O'Toole (@tsnotoole) December 9, 2012
I bet that horse from the Grey Cup looks at the monkey running through IKEA as the animal kingdom's Rosa Parks.
— Steve Kt (@SteveintheKT) December 9, 2012
It's like a zoo up there.
Update: The Globe and Mail reports some important new details. The owners of the monkey were shopping inside the IKEA and were apparently unaware of the ruckus their lil' adorable friend caused. Our favorite part of the update comes from the Toronto police officer the Globe spoke to:
Toronto Police Staff Sergeant Ed Dzingala described the animal as a "smart monkey," who was somehow able to escape its crate, open the car door and make its way to the customer pick-up area at Ikea's North York location.
No harm came to the monkey, although it was a bit scared with all the attention.
Update #2: There are some heartbreaking developments in the IKEA monkey story, courtesy of CTV's Tom Podolec:
#IkeaMonkey is a Rhesus Macaque Monkey Approx. 7 months old. In good health; stressed. Jacket is wool and said to be his favourite.
— Tom Podolec CTV News (@TomPodolec) December 9, 2012
Owners of #IkeaMonkey came forward; charged with having a prohibited animal; $240 fine. Will not get monkey back.#Toronto #Ikea
— Tom Podolec CTV News (@TomPodolec) December 9, 2012
Poor man in the yellow hat :(