How could Bieber take monkey from its mummy? Vet slams pop star's 'monstrous' decision to take 14-week-old Capuchin on world tour



Male Capuchin monkey 'Mally' is being held in quarantine in Germany



He was seized when Bieber tried to take him through Munich airport



Tests reveal it is 14 weeks old, too young to be separated from its mother



It will only eat if it is given a cuddly toy monkey which 'acts as a surrogate'



Justin Bieber's monkey is at the centre of an animal welfare row after it emerged it was taken from its mother when it was only nine or 10 weeks old.

Austrian vet Kurt Grabenwoeger said it was 'monstrous' that the pop star had brought Capuchin Mally with him on a flight from Los Angeles to Germany when it should still be bonding with its mother.

And Bieber, due to perform at a concert in Hamburg this evening, was also criticised for not bothering to contact the quarantine centre where the animal is now being held to check on its welfare.

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Monkey business: Justin Bieber with pet Mally before it was taken away by customs at Munich Airport

Mr Grabenwoeger said: 'These monkeys not only need to be with their mothers for at least a year - but they should also be surrounded by their family group.

'They are living creatures - not celebrity accessories like a handbag. Imagine a human baby sent off on a world tour at 10 weeks - would anyone allow that?'

Mr Grabenwoeger 's warnings were echoed by the head of the animal quarantine station in Germany where Justin Bieber's baby monkey Mally is quarantined who said that he seemed nervous and confused at being in a cell - and had refused to eat at first.

Infant: According to vets at the German quarantine centre where it is being held, Justin Bieber's pet monkey was taken from its mother when it was only nine or ten weeks old

Behavioural problems: The baby monkey refuses to eat unless it is given a cuddly toy which vets believe acts as as a kind of surrogate parent

Bieber, currently in Hamburg for a concert on his global Believe tour, was given the animal for his 19th birthday

In an interview with Central European News Munich animal shelter boss Karl Heinz Joachim, 64, said: 'I can confirm that the monkey is 14 weeks old and was apparently taken away from its mother when it was between nine and 10 weeks old.



'This is much too early.

'It's obvious that those who were looking after it should have known - we could not get him to eat until we gave him the cuddly toy he was still clinging to when he was delivered to us and you can see in photographs of Bieber that the only way they manage to keep it under control was by using the cuddly toy.

You can see pictures of him with two blonde girls and the cuddly toy. This obviously acts as a kind of surrogate parent, and as long as he can hold onto the toy he feels more secure and then started eating okay.



VIDEO Monkey taken too young. Biber's Capuchin now safe in shelter...

Justin Bieber's pet monkey Mally is held by keeper Konrad Dressler at the Munich-Riem animal shelter in Munich

Justin Bieber's pet monkey Mally sits in the quarantine station at the Munich-Riem animal shelter in Munich after being seized at the city's airport

Quarantined: Justin Bieber had arrived in Munich without the necessary documents for the animal

'But he is clearly traumatised are being taken away from his family group.'

He added that as well as being separated from the mother it should be illegal to keep any of the monkeys in isolation from others of the same species - and added that in his opinion nobody who possessed a Capuchin monkey should have fewer than five others for their mental well-being.

In addition when interviewed on Tuesday morning he added that the future of the 14 week-old-male baby Capuchin monkey was unsure not only because of its psychological well-being but also because until now nobody from Bieber's management team or indeed the star himself had been in touch to enquire how it was doing.

Idol: Pop star Bieber performs at the 02 Arena in London last month

Vet and animal expert Grabenwoeger confirmed that at 14 weeks it is still classified as a baby and won't be an adult until it reaches the age of around eight.



In captivity they typically live until the age of around 45, and early experiences with its mother and others in the family group help the baby monkeys to learn correct behaviour and sets them up for a stable development.

Bieber flew into the airport in Munich with the monkey on board his private jet without any of the necessary paperwork and it was confiscated by customs officials on Thursday.

A spokesman said that the monkey had been quarantined because it did not have the necessary paperwork specifying that it was free of diseases including rabies.

In addition there was no paperwork to prove the origins of the monkey - which is a protected species and needs to travel with certification that it was born in captivity and legally acquired and not for example as a result of being smuggled from its South American homeland.

Karl Heinz Joachim added that the way the monkey had been treated up until now being taken through a noisy airport and onto a jet that would have probably have left it terrified had shocked him.

He added: 'It happened and we are where we are now. What matters is what is best for the monkey in the future. I don't know what the laws are in America but I am surprised it was allowed to separate the mother and baby so young.'

A spokesman for the Munich customs office Thomas Meister confirmed that the monkey had been handed over to the quarantine station and that so far the necessary paperwork had not been provided so that they can authorise the monkey be released.



But he said there was no question that Bieber face prosecution as it was purely a question of the fact the missing paperwork meant that the monkey was a potential health risk and that as long as this would be provided in theory the monkey should be handed back to the star.

Karl Heinz Joachim added that as long as the cuddly toy was present the monkey was managing: 'The monkey seems to particularly like sweet things.



'Mainly that means apples, raisins and milk pudding. It is obvious it is used to human company. It keeps calling a lot for company - without its cuddly toy it won't eat at all.'