13 years later, the IKEA monkey is all grown up — and his sanctuary is at capacity

Darwin knows what cameras look like – and how to avoid them. From inside his enclosure, the monkey of Toronto Ikea parking lot fame spots us out of the corner of his eye and bolts under the table.

The now 13-year-old Japanese macaque has seen enough of the spotlight to last a lifetime.

Darwin was just a baby when he was found in a North York Ikea parking lot in 2012, wearing a diaper and shearling coat, and seized by animal services. He’s been living at Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary in Sunderland, Ont., ever since.

Executive director Daina Liepa had just started volunteering at the sanctuary when Darwin first arrived.

When she saw the videos of Darwin circulating online, she noticed he was walking around on two feet – Japanese macaques are naturally quadrupeds. She said the video m