In early 2013, Justin Bieber got a capuchin monkey as a 19th birthday present from producer Jamal “Mally Mall” Rashid, according to BuzzFeed News. The pop star named the primate OG Mally. While owning monkeys is a controversial topic as is, Bieber’s ownership of Mally went above and beyond rather quickly. In late March of that year, German authorities confiscated his pet when Bieber attempted to enter the country without proper documentation, CNN reported.
Bieber got heat for all kinds of reasons. Firstly, he performed in Munich and then headed to Austria later the day, leaving Mally behind. He was given until May 7 to produce the necessary paperwork to retrieve the monkey but never did. Bieber made the situation worse when he posted two pictures of Mally to Instagram, leading some to believe he had returned for him. “Kickin it with og,” Bieber captioned one photo. The second shot featured Mally snuggled up against a teddy bear. “He’s like a human,” Bieber wrote.
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After spending time in quarantine, Mally was transferred to a shelter, whose manager, Karl Heinz Joachim, criticized Bieber for acquiring a weeks-old infant when capuchin monkeys don’t fully wean until after their first birthday, he told The Guardian. He also pointed out monkeys are social animals. “The best thing would be not to buy one at all, but if you do, buy five,” he argued.
