Monkey wearing shearling coat shocks shoppers in Toronto

TORONTO // Shoppers at an Ikea store in Toronto weren't monkeying around when they reported a primate on the loose.

Customers spotted a monkey – clad in a pint-sized shearling coat – wandering around the store's parking lot by itself on Sunday afternoon. Ikea staff lured the primate into a corner before calling the police, who contacted the city's Animal Services department.

Police Sgt. Ed Dzingala said the monkey never made it inside the store and its owner later contacted police and was reunited with the pet.

Dzingala says the monkey escaped its crate in a parked car and explored its surroundings before being picked up.

The incident inspired at least two parody Twitter accounts which took on the persona of the wandering monkey.