Justin Bieber is giving up his controversial monkey. Almost a month after Bieber chaperoned Mally the capuchin into Germany, only for it to be immediately taken into quarantine, the singer has decided he doesn't need the baby animal back and is looking to place Mally in a zoo.

The sanctuary where Mally is being kept has now received two emails from Scooter Braun, Bieber's manager, exploring the terms of the primate's care. According to the Associated Press, Braun's first letter asked how long it would be before Mally would be euthanised. After learning that animals are not put down in German shelters, Braun said his team was "looking into the idea of placing Mally at a zoo" in the country. "Would you happen to have any recommendations for places that Mally would be safe and thrive?" he wrote.

Mally arrived in Munich on 28 March, aboard Bieber's private jet. The 14-week-old monkey was apparently a birthday gift from Jamal "Mally Mall" Rashid, a producer who has worked with Tyga and Wiz Khalifa. Because Bieber didn't have proper papers for his pet, the monkey was seized by German authorities and placed in quarantine. They gave the pop star until 17 May to submit the appropriate health and ownership documents.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, shelter boss Karl Heinz Joachim claimed that Bieber had originally tried to arrange for Mally's return. "[They] indicated that they want the monkey back," he said earlier this month. "But that just isn't acceptable [because] the baby monkey needs company and to be with other monkeys at this crucial age in its life … [He] was never going to be suited to be on a world tour, even if he is travelling by private jet. He should be out in the wild climbing trees."

"We are very concerned that Mally is safe and placed in the best possible residence," Braun wrote in his recent email. But a spokesman for German customs said they still have not received official instructions from Bieber or his management. "If by 17 May there is nothing, then he loses ownership of the animal and it becomes the property of the Federal Republic of Germany," Thomas Meister told the Associated Press. Even if Bieber forfeits his claim to Mally, the 19-year-old will be expected to pay a fine and to reimburse the shelter for costs relating to Mally's care thus far.

Bieber himself has yet to comment directly on the capuchin controversy. He appears tonight in Stockholm, for the last of three gigs.