Justin Bieber Opens Up About His Confiscated Monkey: 'It Was the Farthest Thing from Fine'
Is it too late now to say sorry? Because this one goes out to you OG Mally.
In a new interview with GQ, Justin Bieber talks in-depth about the March 2013 confiscation of his pet capuchin monkey OG Mally, whose name is pronounced "maul-ee", by German custom officials. And the "What Do You Mean?" singer, 21, sounds remorseful about what happened.
"Honestly, everyone told me not to bring the monkey. Everybody," Bieber told the magazine about that fateful trip to Munich. "Everyone told me not to bring the monkey. I was like, 'It's gonna be fine, guys!' It was the farthest thing from fine."
OG Mally, who was an unexpected birthday gift to Bieber from a family friend, was seized by custom officials and placed under quarantine shortly after the monkey and Bieber landed in Munich. While this traumatic event may seem like the result of teenage irresponsibility, Bieber claims he had all of OG Mally's papers in order for the trip.
"In Germany, that monkey's endangered or something … but I had the papers," he said "I even had it written out that he was a circus monkey and he could travel and all that s—. I had all the right papers. Things get twisted."
Bieber was given until May 7 of 2013 to produce the proper paperwork to retrieve OG Mally, but did not come forward with the documents. After this date passed with no response from Bieber, German officials demanded $8,000 in fines to cover the cost of moving the monkey to a zoo.
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OG Mally and Bieber were never reunited. The capuchin monkey is now living out his days, away from the bright lights and busy schedules of fame, at the Serengeti Park in Copenhagen.
Following the confiscation of OG Mally, Bieber is prepared to make some lifestyle changes for his next monkey.
"I'm not gonna bring him to Germany or travel with it anymore," Bieber told GQ about what he would change if he were to get another pet monkey. "People are always like, 'Why did you get a monkey?' If you could get a monkey, well, you would get a f—ing monkey, too! Monkeys are awesome."