Mally is a baby capuchin monkey, who is in a Munich animal welfare center, where he clings to his surrogate mother, a toy cat. Mally is owned by Justin Bieber, the pop star sensation, who is going through a behavioral meltdown. His behavior is not as sensational as his promoted persona.
Justin Bieber is setting a very poor example on animal welfare to millions of young, impressionable fans. It is very disappointing. You have probably read about the way he flew into Munich airport in a private jet with his pet monkey. There is a picture of Justin fooling around, in his jet, with the monkey on his shoulders. This is not funny.
Justin Bieber’s behavior is an abuse of a vulnerable animal. The pop star and his team flew into Germany without the proper preparation to get his monkey into Germany. A health certificate is required. Perhaps Mr Beiber and his entourage were just plain careless or they believed he was above such mundane things.
Apparently not. The German immigration authorities refused Mally’s entry into Germany. As mentioned, Mally is now in an animal centre in Munich where he clings to a toy cat that he believes is his mother. It is so bloody tragic, irritating and damned annoying. If they really cared, perhaps a member of Bieber’s team could have flown back to the USA in the aircraft with Mally.
Mally has been in the animal center for four days (at the date of this post) and no one has been around or phoned to reclaim him, visit him, or show concern for him.
Mally eats well provided he has his surrogate mum with him at all times. Mally obvioulsy needs a mother. What happened to his mother? Probably (possibly) shot in some jungle somewhere in Central America so her offspring could be taken and sold as pets on the American market? Or am I being cynical?
It looks like it and Justin Bieber encourages and supports this sort of abuse of wildlife in adopting a capuchin monkey and then compounds his poor behavior in failing to care for him properly; even abandoning him in some soul destroying strange environment where he finds some comfort in a toy cat. It is all seems crazy. Am I missing something?
Mally will stay at the animal center for 4 weeks until Bieber reclaims him. If not he will be rehomed. Phew. This poor, highly intelligent animal, has suffered a series of abuses at the hands of humans and the last human in the chain is someone with enormous influence over the attitudes of young kids. Bieber has failed to live up to his responsibilities and our expectations with respect to his fans and animals.
In some ways, I feel sorry for Bieber because he, too, is used by the music business to a certain extent. Sometimes the producers can push too hard.
Source: Times newspaper 4th April 2013.
Interesting comment. I sometimes think Charlie would like a cat companion but it is about getting the right one. I swear that the only way to be sure is if people bring a new cat home, see how they get on and if not then the new boy has to go back to where he came from. How else can you do it? Do breeders and cat shelters allow that kind of testing?
Monty has a good mind. He knows what he wants and likes.
Monty would not want a dog companion– he really hates dogs. He thinks his stuffed doggie is a cat. He is interested in other cats. If I have come into contact with a therapy dog at a nursing home I worked at Monty sniffs me and seems upset. I get a look that says, “Mom, how could you?” But if I’ve come into contact with a resident’s cat, which also happens frequently, Monty will sniff me with great interest for a long time. He and Kobe upstairs now can look at each other through the open door of my sister’s apartment without either cat puffing up or hissing. But that is as far as their relationship goes at this time. They can be about seven feet apart. Once when they were closer Kobe swiped at Monty and my sister quickly shut the door between them before World War III could break out on her threshold. I’ve suggested introducing them in neutral territory like the basement instead of either apartment, but Jen said that Kobe thinks it’s all his. Monty probably feels the same way. They would have to work it out. Once I put Monty’s doggie by him on his window perch, as if Doggie wanted to sit there too. Monty moved over. Then I made Doggie try to hone in on Monty’s side of the perch, as if he were a cat trying to hog it for himself. With a swipe of his paw Monty knocked his stuffed dog onto the floor. So he would compromise, but not yield completely to another cat. My husband says adding another cat would not work. I think the cats would work it out.
That is interesting, Ruth. It does seem as if Monty would love a cat companion or a dog. Of course he has you and you’re a high quality companion but perhaps he sees you as a different species and wants one of his own 😉
The monkey having a stuffed animal as its “mother” reminds of Monty with his stuffed doggie. He plays with that dog like it’s another cat. I’ve caught him grooming it, sleeping next to it and even biting the back of its neck and prancing over it the way one feral cat would do to another male cat to assert dominance. Well, at least Monty has dominance over his toy. But he obviously needs cat companionship. Since my husband won’t allow another cat, Monty makes use of his stuffed dog in the same way a lonely child will play with a doll. It shows that animals are more like us than most people will admit.
If I had come into a large amount of money at 19 I think I would have wanted to do a lot of good with it. I was so idealistic at that age, always trying to be a better person. Now that I’m middle aged I know that’s impossible, so I’ve kind of given up and become very cynical. No human being can be good– we’re just steeped in sin at birth, so there really isn’t hope. But at 19 I didn’t know that and I wanted to go out and make the world a better place.
Nineteen is certainly old enough to know better than to treat a living breathing animal as nothing more than a possession like a car or a pair of shoes. I know I cared deeply for my cat at that age. I also knew, even at 19, that wild animals are not pets. I’ve heard about other bad behavior from this kid. Personally, I don’t think he’s even talented.
It all becomes about marketing. If someone actually has talent and has had to work for where they are, they don’t usually behave so poorly. Working hard to develop your talent develops character. I’ll give an example: Shirley Temple. She was a huge star from a very young age. She had real talent, worked her butt off since she was a tiny tot, and went on to be an upstanding citizen and a valuable, contributing member of society throughout her life. Fame doesn’t have to ruin a person. But when it’s thrust on someone who didn’t really earn it, it might be worse. Brittany Spears is another one that I just can’t understand how she ever became famous and her behavior has been terrible also at times. Her back up singers were so much better than her that it was just obvious she had no talent whatsoever. It’s all about looks these days– a certain image– instead of being about the music or a real talent. So if a wild animal seems to give them the right “look” they’ll keep one as a pet. But no amount of wealth or fame makes that ok. There are so many domesticated dogs and cats needing homes– with Beiber’s money why doesn’t he do something about that problem instead of buying a “pet” monkey? Many stars try to help and adopt various causes, donating huge sums of money and time. I think the public expects that of those who are more fortunate– that they use their fame and their money to help. People are going to get sick of kids like Bieber and he’ll find that fame is fleeting.
Thanks for the extra information. I guess the monkey could have been saved from a lab but that is hardly wonderful as you say. I find the whole thing a bit sick personally and it is distressing to read about a young monkey clinging on to a toy cat as surrogate mother.
It is similar to the Paris Hilton habit of carrying around a miniature dog or a dwarf cat in her handbag. It is celebrity pets.
I wonder if the executive gave Bieber the monkey to try and stabilise him as he appears to be stressed up.