No monkey(ing) around any more: Justin Bieber's pet capuchin is given to a zoo after singer fails to collect him

Justin Bieber's pet monkey is no longer his and has reportedly been handed over to a zoo to keep after the singer failed to collect him in time.

The capuchin monkey named Mally was seized by German customs in March when the 19-year-old Canadian pop star failed to produce the required vaccination and import papers after landing in Munich for a European tour.
Authorities issued an order Tuesday transferring ownership of the animal to Germany after Bieber missed a deadline to send the documents, customs spokesman Thomas Meister said.

No longer his: Justin Bieber's pet monkey has been handed over to a zoo in Germany after the singer failed to collect him in time

Mally, now 20 weeks old, was being cared for at Munich's animal shelter. He has fared well and gained weight and even got a visit Tuesday from Germany's environment minister.

'We are going to make sure that Mally can grow up appropriately for its species,' said minister Peter Altmaier.

The shelter has criticized Bieber for keeping such a young monkey as a pet, saying it shouldn't have been taken away from its mother until it was a year old. Experts say capuchin monkeys also need to be kept in groups, not alone.

As they were: The monkey was taken off Bieber in March when he arrived in Germany for a tour date minus the proper documents required

'Monkeys are very sociable animals,' Altmaier added. 'That's why we're going to take Mally to a place where he can live safely and in the company of others.'
Reports claim Mally is already living at a zoo in Germany, although the exact location hasn't been confirmed in a bid to keep the primate safe and avoid security problems.

Meister said a bill for Mally's care - which he estimated to be several thousand euros (dollars) - would be sent to Bieber.

Taken care of: Reports claim Mally the monkey has been handed to a zoo, but the exact location isn't being given for fears of security issues

Abandoned: The capuchin monkey had been taken care of at an animal shelter in Germany, while Bieber was given a date he would have to collect him by if he wanted him back

The Baby hitmaker has six weeks to contest the decision.

Although he seems to be caught up in his own fair share of problems at the moment which will be keeping him occupied.

Bieber faced criticism from rocker Jon Bon Jovi, who branded him an 'a**hole' this week for previously making his young fans wait a couple of hours at his London concert in March.

'Every generation has guys that do that, none of that is new,' Jon told the London Evening Standard.

Busy: While Mally has been staying in Germany, Bieber was busy last week picking up a trophy at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards

Work time: Bieber gave a performance at the awards ceremony but has had to face several personal issues recently

'They run the risk of disrespecting their audience members who have worked hard to pay for their ticket, to give you the permission to take two or three hours of their lives — or in that kid’s case, 80 minutes of their lives.
'Do it once, you can be forgiven. Do it enough times and shame on you. They won’t have you back. Then it just becomes a cliché. It’s really not cool — you’re an a**hole. Go to f***in’ work!'
Justin also recently split from his girlfriend Selena Gomez, who he bumped into at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards earlier this week.