Australia tells Johnny Depp’s dogs to ‘bugger off’
Print Edition
Johnny Depp’s pet dogs Pistol and Boo have been ordered by Australia to “bugger off” back to Hollywood or face being put down after he flew the terriers into the country illegally.
The actor, who is in Australia to film “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” — the fifth installment in the franchise — was given the grim warning by Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce yesterday.
“Just because he’s Johnny Depp does not mean he’s exempt from Australian law,” Joyce told reporters, as the hashtag #WarOnTerrier quickly became the top-trending topic on Twitter Down Under.
Australia requires cats and dogs from the US to spend at least 10 days in quarantine.
But Depp appears to have ignored the rules, arriving in Brisbane last month with the Yorkshire terriers in tow without declaring them to customs. The Hollywood star flew them in on his private jet.
“There is a process if you want to bring animals. You get the permits, they go into quarantine and then you can have them,” said Joyce, with customs authorities expected to seize the dogs imminently.
He said he became aware that Depp had the dogs with him after they were spotted being taken to a groomer. “It’s time that Pistol and Boo buggered off back to the US,” Joyce said. “He can send them back or we will have to euthanize them.”
Asked if his stance may affect Depp’s view of him, Joyce said: “I don’t think Mr Depp will be inviting me to the opening of the Pirates of the Caribbean.”
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton weighed in, saying Depp could face large fines.
He told Fairfax radio it was a serious matter “because if you have breaches of biosecurity, it can have big impacts.”
With Joyce giving Depp until tomorrow to get the dogs out of the country or face the consequences, media gathered outside his rented mansion on the Gold Coast and one news outlet, Guardian Australia, even started a countdown clock.
An online petition was started at change.org to save the pets and gathered more than 3,500 signatures within hours.
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