Johnny Depp’s dogs could face a severe penalty if they stay in Australia. Depp and Amber Heard’s Yorkshire terriers Pistol and Boo are being threatened with euthanasia.
Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce has accused the actor of smuggling his pets into the country as he resumes filming his latest movie, Pirates of the Caribbean : Dead Men Tell No Tales . On April 21, Depp returned to Gold Coast studios aboard his private jet, having allegedly sneaked the dogs with him, and broke quarantine.
Australia’s Agriculture department told Johnny Depp and Amber Heard on Wednesday that they have 72 hours to return their pets to the United States. It appears that the dogs are not local to the region and could disturb the ecosystem just interacting with the land down under. Australia takes serious issue with the idea of things like rabies getting into the country, even by accident.
According to CNN , Barnaby Joyce has stated that Depp’s dogs being in the country is a violation of the law.
“If you start letting movie stars – even though they’ve been the sexiest man alive twice – to come into our nation (with pets), then why don’t we just break laws for everybody?
“It’s time that Pistol and Boo buggered off back to the United States. After that I don’t expect to be invited to the opening of Pirates of the Caribbean .”
Fox News states that all foreign pets are ordered to be left in quarantine for at least ten days, and their owners must have a permit to even bring them into the country. Johnny Depp allegedly didn’t have a permit when he brought them back after emergency surgery.
Dealing with Depp’s dogs could further halt production on the fifth installment of Pirates of the Caribbean , which has already seen delays. The actor cut his hand on a glass door, leading to the surgery , as previously reported by The Inquisitr .
Just read on TMZ Johnny Depp – Dogs Kill Sheep, So Get Your Yorkies Out of Australia, or Else http://t.co/8akfwTY27F
— Best Web Stuff! (@BestWebStuff) May 14, 2015
On his return, Johnny Depp allegedly proved himself a pirate quite a distance south of the Caribbean.
Depp’s dogs had been caught outside quarantine when the actor allegedly snuck them to a Gold Coast dog groomer in handbags on Saturday. The law was discovered broken when the groomer posted a grainy picture of the dogs alongside the actor on Facebook.
Now Johnny Depp has until Saturday morning to either bring the Yorkshire terriers back to California or lose them forever to the agriculture laws of Australia.
[Image via Handout / Getty Images ]
