Yesterday, Johnny Depp’s—granted, cute as MF sin—dogs unexpectedly captured national attention, as Agricultural Minister Barnaby Joyce announced the actor had failed to declare his yorkshire terriers Boo and Pistol on his arrival in Australia this week. Declare or beware, as we all well know – was not duly abided by Depp; such a move caused Joyce to [eloquently] request the dogs “bugger off back to the United States,” or risk euthanasia.
The move by Depp and wife Amber Heard was, by all accounts, a really freaking stupid one. Australia is uniquely susceptible to contamination when foreign flora or fauna is imported without quarantine or thorough checking – something Johnny Depp straight up ignored.
Following Barnaby Joyce’s statement yesterday, Farifax reports that Depp and Heard have organised a private flight back to the US today to return Boo and Pistol, and avoid the 72 hour window before euthanasia would be enforced.
Depp is likely to face fines for the quarantine breach in Australia, but beyond that – Boo and Pistol may face similar biosecurity barriers on their arrival in the States. “We can’t make an exception for Johnny Depp,” Barnaby Joyce said, according to Fairfax, and added that the dogs’ fate in the US may be similar to that in Australia: “My worry is will the US let them back in? If not … will they have anywhere to go?”
But the weirdest thing about this story has to be foreign presses’ take on it. It’s a baffling headline to read in Australia, even with the given context of our strict biosecurity laws. But publications in America are going to town on making Australia look like heartless puppy murderers.
Australia will kill Johnny Depp’s puppies, if that’s what it comes to. http://t.co/r97rAHs3vf pic.twitter.com/BrBbTTnsKz
— Gawker (@Gawker) May 14, 2015
G R I M.
Last night on The Project, Waleed Aly asked Barnaby Joyce, “Why do you hate Johnny Depp’s dogs?” to which he gave – credit to him – a pretty solid reply. Watch below.
Via SMH.
Lead image by Jason Merritt via Getty.
