“’You have 50 hours.” Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce has issued an ultimatum to Johnny Depp to remove his contraband pups or they’ll be put down.
51-year-old Johnny Depp and his wife, 29-year-old Amber Heard are currently in the Gold Coast, while Johnny films Pirates of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and News.com.au reports that their cute pooches were not declared when they arrived in Brisbane on April 20.
The puppies, Boo and Pistol, flew into the country via private jet with their owners and despite their exorbitant lifestyle, not even they could side-step Australia’s strict agricultural laws. The outlaw pooches might never had been discovered were they not photographed being treated to a trip to the poodle salon!
Speaking at a press conference in Canberra this morning, Minister Joyce addressed the issue of: “A gentleman by the name of John Christopher Depp, 51 years old. AKA Jack Sparrow. And he’s decided to bring into our nation two dogs without getting the proper certification and the proper permits required. Basically he snuck them in. We found out he snuck them in because we saw him taking them to a poodle groomer,” Mr Joyce said.
Amber Heard with one of the adorable pups in question!
Mr Joyce continued: “Now Mr Depp has to either take his dogs back to California or we’re going to have to euthanise them. He’s now got about 50 hours left to remove the dogs. He can put them on the same charter jet he flew out on and fly back out of our nation.”
According to Australia’s strict biosecurity laws, dogs are required to spend at least 10 days in quarantine before gaining access into the country, however Pistol and Boo avoided this process and Australian authorities are not impressed. The standard practice for failure to declare pets is that they will be seized and either deported or euthanized.
Protective mum Amber Heard is reportedly current in negotiations with the Department of Agriculture to save the lives of the adorable pups.
Agriculture Minister Barnarby Joyce has issued the famous couple an ultimatum.
The owner of Happy Dogz salon where the pooches were treated to a grooming session over the weekend, Lianne Kent told the News.com.au that the dog’s handler didn’t leave their side due to “security reasons.”
She added that the dogs: “were like Amber’s little babies so they couldn’t be left alone with people they didn’t know.”
Meanwhile, Johnny Depp’s new co-stars on the blockbuster franchise, a pair of capuchin monkeys followed Australia’s regulations and were granted access to the country after spending the required amount of time in quarantine.
Movie star or not, it seems no one can escape Australia’s tough Customs laws! As Mr Joyce put it: “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.”
