Move over Anfield Cat, Twitter has a new animal star – and this time he’s well-dressed for the occasion. The dapper ‘Ikea Monkey’ was spotted in Toronto this weekend and has already inspired two Twitter accounts.
The monkey, dressed in a shearling coat, was spotted in the car park for an Ikea store in North York, Toronto, on Sunday. Animal Services came to pick up the animal, which was identified as a rhesus macaque.
Native to south central and southeast Asia, the clever monkey was at least well wrapped up for a Canadian winter.
Surprised shoppers shared images of the now-famous Ikea Monkey on Twitter and, almost immediately, two accounts sprang up in the fashionable primate’s honour.
@IKEAmonkey has reached more than 1,400 followers while @Ikea_Monkey, with a bio that reads “Primate. Lover of Fashion. Fancy.” has 316. Funnily enough, the former claims to be influential about social media, Sweden and humour on Klout.
Earlier this year, a cat that wandered onto the pitch at Anfield stadium during a Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur match became an overnight Twitter sensation, and the @AnfieldCat Twitter account today has more than 70,000 followers.
Thestar.com reports that the Ikea Monkey somehow escaped its owner’s car when it was parked at Ikea. The owner, on presenting himself to Animal Services later that day, was subsequently fined for possession of a prohibited animal and the animal was signed over to Animal Services.
However, the internet provides an alternative explanation for the Ikea Monkey.
