Justin Bieber slammed for taking monkey on tour

Justin Bieber has been slammed as "monstrous" for flying his pet monkey around the world.

The 19-year-old pop star refused to fly without 14-week-old capuchin monkey Mally last week. However, he did not secure the proper paperwork for the primate so he was seized when the pop star touched down in Germany.

Mally is now in quarantine and Justin has continued with his Believe Tour. The monkey is not said to be coping well with the change in his surroundings and has been pictured holding on to a cuddly toy and a picture of the Canadian singer.

Austrian vet Kurt Grabenwoeger called Justin's behaviour "monstrous".

"These monkeys not only need to be with their mothers for at least a year - but they should also be surrounded by their family group," he said.

"They are living creatures - not celebrity accessories like a handbag. Imagine a human baby sent off on a world tour at ten weeks - would anyone allow that?"

The head of the establishment where Mally is being held has also spoken about the situation. He claims the monkey was far too young when he was taken from its mother, which could be one of the reasons it is struggling to cope at the shelter.

"I can confirm that the monkey is 14 weeks old and was apparently taken away from its mother when it was between nine and ten weeks old," Karl Heinz Joachim told Central European News. "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."

Mally initially wouldn't eat, but has been consuming food now he has his toy back.

Karl added he is "shocked" by what has happened but is determined to do the best for the monkey in the future.