German officials have denied a request to donate Justin Bieber's pet monkey to a local zoo.

The Baby singer hit headlines last month (Mar13) when his Capuchin monkey, Mally, was seized in Germany and placed in quarantine amid allegations Bieber attempted to take the animal into the country without proper paperwork.

The monkey is currently housed at an animal shelter in Munich as Bieber continues the European leg of his Believe tour, and now caretakers have revealed they recently received an email from the pop star's rep, in which he suggested the 19 year old was "looking into the idea of placing Mally at a zoo in Germany".

But customs chiefs have refused to surrender the little primate to a zoo until Bieber contacts them directly and gives his consent, according to spokesperson Thomas Meister.

The news comes just weeks after the teenager was branded "irresponsible" and targeted by activists for setting a bad example to fans by keeping the exotic animal as a pet.