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Monday, May 18, 2015

Caribbean Pirate Depp's dogs return by private jet flight

I had recently posted on ‘Pistol and Boo’- the dogs of Johnny Depp..... i had also posted earlier on the oft repeated phrase ‘It's a dog's life’ –  meaning  that life is hard and unpleasant.  There is another phrase associated with dog – ‘dog’s day’…. dog days refers to the sultry days of summer ~fortunately, it is not dog’s days here due to the unseasonal rains in Chennai dipping the heat for a couple of days.  This  post is about the tweet “dogs gone” by Australian Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce.

 ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ is a series of fantasy swashbuckler films produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and based on Walt Disney's theme park ride of the same name. The fifth instalment of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise is being  filmed in Queensland. More than movie news, the small breed Yorkshire terriers of the actor gotten in not through Customs and not quarantined made big news as there was threat of putting them down or sending them back immediately.  The Yorkshire Terrier is a small dog breed of terrier type, developed in the 19th century in the county of Yorkshire, England, to catch rats in clothing mills, also used for rat-baiting. Australia’s strict biosecurity measures are in place in order to keep out canine diseases such as the bacterial infection leptospirosis and rabies.

The actor was warned by the country’s Department of Agriculture that his Yorkshire terriers Boo and Pistol would be put down if they weren’t taken out of the country within 50 hours as there was no permit and they were not quarantined. Barnaby Joyce made it clear that there was no immunity for the actor.  Several other Aussie politicians, including the Immigration Minister and the Queensland Treasurer, agreed, saying Depp can’t be exempted from the country’s quarantine protocols just because he’s a movie star who flew in with his dogs undeclared on a private jet. Several of Depp’s fans, meanwhile, started an online petition to save the tiny canines, although many of them did  blame the actor for flouting laws. " 

It all should sound ‘Greek and latin’ in places where rich and famous are able to flout every other law.....  and in a couple of days came the news that the actor has bid  farewell to his beloved dogs Boo and Pistol, sending them back to the US from Australia via a private jet.  According to Channel Nine's The Today Show on Saturday, it was an 'emotional' farewell for 51-year-old Johnny and his wife Amber Heard, 29 as their pups boarded a private jet from Coolangatta.  It was further reported that the actor will remain and the production is continuing.  


On Friday afternoon Depp and Heard had reportedly notified the government that they would leave the Gold Coast in Queensland after being given 50 hours notice to take their pets back to the US. However the actor decided to remain Down Under to meet filming commitments for the latest Pirates Of The Caribbean film, according to reports.   Explaining the dogs 'left the mansion here just before 7 o'clock and were under the guardianship of Johnny Depp's father-in-law', Curtis continued: 'Boo and Pistle didn't get out and walk across the tarmac to their private chartered jet. They were driven straight into the hanger, carried in their cages straight on board and then allowed to walk around the cabin as felt free'.

Reports further state that Amber’s dad David was in charge of the precious cargo.  For the dogs, after hitting International headlines, it would be a comfortable journey on board a private jet costing a whopping $400,000, which millions could only dream of.  But it may not be all over and there could be further serious ramifications going by the reports that Immigration officials are now going to start some kind of inquiry. Potentially Depp,  his wife and their entire entourage may all face very significant fines because they didn't declare the dogs on the manifest when they arrived in Australia and didn't follow the 19-step process to allow the dogs to come to the country'.  According to The Daily Telegraph, fines could sum up to $340,000, as confirmed by The Department Of Agriculture.

Mr Joyce  warned that Depp and Heard might not get the quick escape to the United States they were looking for.   Mr Joyce also revealed the Australian government 'bent over backwards' to get monkeys through biosecurity checks for the set of the latest Pirates of the Caribbean film. It is stated that when the Corporate jets come in they are supposed to sign a manifest of what is on the plane, what people are on the plane and certainly if they're carrying any dogs.  By some accounts, these dogs were carried in the Louis Vuitton bag undeclared into Australia.   The Department came to know of their presence  after reports surfaced of them being taken to a local Gold Coast grooming parlour by a handler !   

A couple of months back the producers brought in  two white-throated capuchin monkeys to Australia to play the role of Captain Hector Barbossa’s pet primate Jack. That created a ruckus.  Nearly 50,000 people signed  online petition calling on Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films to use computer-generated images instead of live animals in the film, claiming that the long travel would stress them beyond a point.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar

18th May 2015.

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