Justin Bieber Gives Up Monkey: Damned If He Does, Damned If He Doesn’t

Justin Bieber’s estrangement from his pet monkey Mally appears to be nearing its inevitable conclusion.

Yesterday, it was widely reported that the Munich animal shelter — where the monkey is being cared for — told The Associated Press they had received two emails from a representative claiming to be from Bieber’s management team, asking for information with a view to placing Mally in a zoo.

“Our team is looking into the idea of placing Mally at a zoo in Germany. Would you happen to have any recommendations for places that Mally would be safe and thrive?” said one email, according to the AP.

The email added: “Again, we are very concerned that Mally is safe and placed in the best possible residence.”

Munich customs spokesman Thomas Meister later confirmed Mally wouldn’t be going anywhere until either Bieber or someone with his power of attorney gets in touch with them directly.

Meister said: “If by May 17 there is nothing, then he loses ownership of the animal and it becomes the property of the Federal Republic of Germany.”

Bieber took Mally to Munich on March 28 via private jet ahead of a Believe tour concert that same night. The now 17-week-old monkey was a birthday gift from a producer named Jamal ‘Mally Mall’ Rashid.

Understandably, Munich customs officials removed Mally from Bieber when he was unable to provide health and ownership documentation at the airport. The capuchin was immediately placed in quarantine.

Karl Heinz Joachim, boss at the Munich Animal Protection League Shelter told Mail Online, said Bieber’s reps had originally tried to arrange for Mally’s return. “[They] indicated that they want the monkey back,” said Joachim 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,” he added.

Joachim previously called on the Canadian teen to “do the decent thing and let the monkey be free for adoption,” their preference an animal welfare sanctuary rather than a zoo.

Such is the context of the Bieber-Mally saga. So, what now?

Clearly, a 19-year-old superstar going through what appears to be a turbulent, teenage period of his life, exacerbated by the glare of constant media focus, is a totally inappropriate owner for a baby primate.

In fact, according to the enraged animal welfare groups who accused Bieber of “monstrous” “neglect” and “cruelty,” no individual should ever own a capuchin monkey, especially one taken from its mother at just nine weeks old.

Dr. Ros Clubb, senior physician for the UK’s Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), previously said:

“Many people see monkeys like capuchins and marmosets as small and easy to keep but this is far from the truth – they are very hard to look after and totally unsuitable as pets. They can also be dangerous.”

Therein, lies the paradox.

Most, if not all, the coverage on this story insists Bieber has “abandoned” Mally. One outlet went so far as to say the singer had left Mally “to die” in Germany. It should be noted that the Munich shelter assured Bieber’s representative (after he inquired) that animals in German shelters are not euthanized.

So, if we accept that Bieber made a bad decision to first accept the monkey as a gift and then travel with it (and without documents) — what’s the alternative?

The best possible scenario now for Mally is an appropriate home where he can integrate one with his own kind and develop normally, and doesn’t exploit him as a money-making sideshow.

Bieber cannot meet Mally’s needs. And it seems that he and/or his management team have also come to the same conclusion. In fact, provided he (or his reps) follows through and terminates ownership, it could even be argued that the teen singer has finally put Mally first.

Bieber made mistakes here, that’s a given. But the greater one would be to compound it.

[Image via Featureflash / Shutterstock.com]