Send your Yorkies home to U.S. or we’ll have them put down, Aussies warn Depp
SNEAKING his pets in by private jet, Johnny depp may have congratulated himself on dodging Australia’s strict quarantine laws.
But the film star’s plans rather went to the dogs when authorities found he had illegally smuggled his two Yorkshire terriers into the country.
Far from pandering to the whims of the Hollywood A-lister, the Australian officials have taken a tough stance, threatening to ‘euthanise’ Pistol and Boo if they are not out of the country by tomorrow.
Agricultural minister Barnaby Joyce said: ‘Just because he’s Johnny depp, aka Jack Sparrow, does not mean he’s exempt from Australian law.’
He added: ‘If you start letting movie stars – even if they’ve been the sexiest man alive twice – come into our nation with pets, then why don’t we just break laws for everybody? It’s time that Pistol and Boo b******d off back to the united States.’
The 51-year- old actor’s scheme fell apart after a photograph emerged showing the pets at a Brisbane grooming salon called Happy dogz. The image was posted on the firm’s Facebook page, and was quickly brought to the attention of the Australian government.
officials found the animals on Wednes- day and issued depp with a 72-hour deadline to remove the dogs from the country or face them being killed. A petition, which has already received more than 5,000 signatures, calls on politicians to ‘have a heart’ and not ‘kill cute puppies’.
But Mr Joyce said: ‘There is a process if you want to bring animals in. You get the permits, they go into quarantine and then you can have them. He can put them on the jet and fly them back out of our nation. They know our laws, abide by them. Mr depp has to take his dogs to California or we’re going to have to euthanise them.’
Australia has strict regulations to prevent diseases such as rabies spreading to the country. Pet owners can only bring their animals if they have been granted a permit and the creature has been quarantined for at least ten days on arrival.
depp flew into Brisbane Airport by private jet last month to film the fifth instalment of the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise, dead Men Tell No Tales.
Mr Joyce believes this is when the actor brought the dogs into the country. ‘I don’t know where he had them – in a Louis Vuitton bag,’ he joked.
The politician said yesterday: ‘I don’t have Mr depp’s number, but my department is informed that they are organising for the dogs to be sent back to the united States. I’d say that is the wisest move.’
depp has been accompanied on the trip by actress Amber Heard, 29, who he married in February. He previously dated French singer Vanessa Paradis, 42, the mother of his two children.
Authorities said no decision has been made on whether further action will be taken against depp for breaching quarantine regulations. But the issue made for an unusual discussion in the Australian parliament. Mr Joyce admitted that if he does end up having depp’s dogs killed, he ‘won’t expect to be invited to the opening of Pirates of the Caribbean’.