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.
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.
'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
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.'
A spokesman for the pop star
said: 'Justin and his team have been very concerned about the monkey’s
condition and are hoping everything is resolved soon.'
No comments:
Post a Comment