‘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 installment 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.
