Justin Bieber's pet monkey is reportedly staying in an animal shelter where it was placed after being quarantined in Germany even though the singer asked that it be taken to a zoo, German custom authorities said Tuesday.

Mally, a 20-week-old capuchin monkey, was seized by customs authorities on March 28 when the 19-year-old Canadian pop star failed to produce the required vaccination and import papers after landing in Munich for his world tour. Bieber had until midnight on May 17 to produce those documents.

Officials received no documents after offices opened following the holiday weekend, customs spokesman Thomas Meister said. The customs authority formally transfered ownership of the animal to the German state on Tuesday.

"Mally is now the property of Germany," Meister said, according to E!. "It will be official in six weeks. Today he is definitely confiscated by Germany. We have officially confiscated Mally today."

Bieber has six weeks to contest the decision. It was not immediately clear when authorities will make a decision on the monkey's permanent home.

Mally has been cared for at the Munich Animal Protection League shelter since it was quarantined and has fared well and gained weight. The shelter criticized Bieber for keeping the young monkey as a pet, saying the animal should not be taken away from its mother until it is a year old. Experts said capuchin monkeys also need to be kept in groups, not alone.

Judith Brettmeister, spokeswoman for the shelter, said a bill for Mally's care - which he estimated at several thousand euros - would be sent to Bieber.

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