Johnny Depp has flown his two dogs out of Australia after the Australian government threatened to have them put down.
Depp flew into Australia with his two Yorkshire terriers, Pistol and Boo, but failed to obtain the proper permits for bringing animals into the country as required by law. The government then said that Depp had to get the dogs out of the country or else they would be euthanized.
“Two dogs that were brought into Australia without meeting our import requirements have now been exported back to their country of origin,”Australian agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce said in a statement on the matter. “A Department of Agriculture officer has escorted the two dogs from the property in Queensland, where they had been held under quarantine order, to the airport for their flight home.”
“The department issued the necessary export documentation and correspondence to the relevant veterinary authority to facilitate the repatriation of the dogs,” the statement continued. “All costs associated with returning the dogs were met by the owners.”
Joyce had previously said, “It’s time that Pistol and Boo buggered off back to the United States.”
In an interview with ABC radio on Friday, Joyce also raised concerns about whether or not Pistol and Boo would even be allowed back into the United States.
“They obviously got on the plane in the United States without telling the United States authorities that they were leaving,” Joyce said. “Technically, if they absconded [without] the proper process of authorisation in leaving the States, does the US recognise that they’re here? They’re stateless dogs.”
Representatives for Depp have not returned TheWrap’s request for comment.
Depp is in Australia shooting the latest “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie. Depp will be reprising the role of Jack Sparrow, a character who garnered him an Oscar nomination in 2004.
TheWrap exclusively reported in March that Depp had injured his hand on set and flew back to U.S. to undergo surgery.