Shipwrecked Animals in Peril . . . Please Help!

[Hud3]

Tao,

You're amazing! Snickers is a lucky dog, indeed, to have you as his new master!

I hesitate to ask this question, but I wonder if you've thought about it. At this point, do you think it possible that his original owners will attempt to get Snickers back?

[imagine2frolic]

Tao,

Funny how people caught up in their own self importance behave. Tao should get the invite on the talk show circuit. I'd like to be the first to get an autograph....lol The P.O's. of Snickers should be ashamed of themselves.

[Southern Star]

Well said Gord. I've been away for a few days and missed this story developing, but it does not surprise me that Tao would have taken upon himself the initiative (and the expense) of doing something for these poor animals. Tao, you may be 60 - but you are also so obviously not only a true product of, but a paradigm for the best that came out of the human spirit during the 60's.

Your postings have painted an indelible portrait of a man with a real sense of sharing and community, an intolerance only for intolerance and a hatred only for those who espouse hatred and the use of force as a salve to the problems of the world. Actions, of course, speak louder than words. And I suspect that your efforts here have done more for the image of America amongst international cruisers and yes, the people on a small island in the South Pacific, than anything that has been done by a series of U.S. Commanders-in-Chief in furtherance of 'foreign policy'.

In the end, it is the small things that we do out of compassion rather than self-interest that really matter. Whether or not one believes in Karma, the Gods are smiling today and our universe is a slightly brighter place. Thank you for allowing all of us to bask, however briefly, in that light.


Brad

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Southern Star

Well said Gord. I've been away for a few days and missed this story developing, but it does not surprise me that Tao would have taken upon himself the initiative (and the expense) of doing something for these poor animals. Tao, you may be 60 - but you are also so obviously not only a true product of, but a paradigm for the best that came out of the human spirit during the 60's.

Your postings have painted an indelible portrait of a man with a real sense of sharing and community, an intolerance only for intolerance and a hatred only for those who espouse hatred and the use of force as a salve to the problems of the world. Actions, of course, speak louder than words. And I suspect that your efforts here have done more for the image of America amongst international cruisers and yes, the people on a small island in the South Pacific, than anything that has been done by a series of U.S. Commanders-in-Chief in furtherance of 'foreign policy'.

In the end, it is the small things that we do out of compassion rather than self-interest that really matter. Whether or not one believes in Karma, the Gods are smiling today and our universe is a slightly brighter place. Thank you for allowing all of us to bask, however briefly, in that light.

Brad

That bears repeating, and I wish I'd said it.

[knottybuoyz]

Good on ya Tao.

I hope Gulliver gets lucky and finds someone like Tao who can rescue him too!

[drh1965]

Tao,

Your story brought a tear to my eye.

Thank you!

[TaoJones]

Wow, Brad, Gord, everyone - you're making an old guy blush! Thank you all for the kind words.

Originally Posted by Hud3

Tao,

You're amazing! Snickers is a lucky dog, indeed, to have you as his new master!

I hesitate to ask this question, but I wonder if you've thought about it. At this point, do you think it possible that his original owners will attempt to get Snickers back?

I had, indeed, thought of that possibility, Hud3, and before I got very far into the effort, I sought a written release of ownership rights from the previous owners. They have email addresses, I'm told, but do not respond to direct inquiries, and, as much as I wanted the release, I desperately wanted any information they could provide that would help establish that the animals were legally obtained in the US.

Through the sister of Darla, the woman aboard the doomed vessel, I was told the following on April 2nd:

"I spoke with Darla and this is what she told me about the animals.
She bought both gulliver and snickers from individuals who bred the
animals out of their homes in Modesto, California. Gulliver was 2
years old and she has had him for one year. There was no legband
because she didn't buy him from a pet store. Snickers was also bought
out of somebody's home in Modesto, Ca. He was bought as a puppy and
is now about 8 months old. All of the paperwork for both animals was
on the boat and she can not remember any names or phone numbers of the
people who sold her the animals. Snickers had two puppy shots before
they left and was not old enough for a rabies shot. They did not
fill out any paperwork on the animals before they left on their trip
because their intent was not to take them out of the country. They
were headed to Hawaii (not out of the country) but got off course when
all of the problems with the boat happened. Their destination was not
Fanning Island, that is just where the boat intersected with land; the
final resting place of the boat was not in their control."

As to release of ownership of the animals, she went on:

"I hope this helps you to be able to get the animals off the island and
to safety. Both Darla and I have one request and that is if you fail
in your attempt to save the animals, we really do not want to know
that. We would like to just think that everything had a positive
outcome.

"Thank you for all that you are doing to help in this situation. It is
greatly appreciated."

In an email the previous day, she had written:

"Hello, this is Darla's sister Kim. Darla and Jerry would very much appreciate anything you can do to get the animals back to the united states and into a good home. They do not have internet access right now so if you can email me the release form I can get it to them for their signitures."

When I learned that Gulliver was not banded, I knew his chances for survival were vanishingly small. In my view, there are many reasons to legband such a valuable animal, not the least of which is that it legitimizes him and thereby increases his value, but there is only one reason not to band him - because he is not legally eligible.

Among the contributing factors that could account for that are 1) The brood stock from which he was hatched were not legal brood stock; 2) The "backyard breeder" himself may be an undocumented alien; 3) The young hatchling may have been stolen before he could be legally banded by someone who then sold him to the unwitting previous owners.

Whatever the reason, had the previous owners actually sailed to Hawaii successfully, they would most likely have had the bird impounded by the authorities upon arrival, and when his legitimacy could not be proven, he would have been quickly euthanized. The irony is that, by running aground and sinking at Fanning Island, the previous owners found sympathetic islanders who have, so far, gone out of their way to spare the animals.

For me, the trump card is that the animals were abandoned four months ago in the Republic of Kiribati, and were subject to seizure by the government there in any event because they entered illegally, and I now have a letter from the government of the Republic of Kiribati, signed by a Ministry of Agriculture official ceding ownership of Snickers to me. Without that letter, NCL would not have allowed the dog aboard Spirit of Aloha.

So if the previous owners want to come after me once Snickers is in my home, assuming they can find out who I am and where I live, I can't prevent that. However, given the history of this process, and the fact that they may not have the resources to fight me legally, I doubt they'd make the attempt.

And while I prefer non-confrontation, as a rule, I think that's one fight I'd eagerly join.

TaoJones

PS: I'm going to try again to add the picture of Snickers and Mark, the young crewman from Pride of Aloha. Incidentally, Mark has put up a blog dedicated to trying to save Gulliver. It is: Gulliver’s Island: Dedicated to saving one special bird. In addition, all of you romantic cruisers who love boat porn, check out the Coleman's gorgeous Angelman ketch Southern Cross at: http://www.alohacouple.com/

I've invited both the Colemans and Mark to join us here ar Cruisers Forum.

[Southern Star]

Tao, 60 isn't old (or at least it had better not be, as I too am fast approaching that temporal milestone). And regardless of the legalities (which support your position), through the act of saving him, the futures of both Snickers and you are now inextricably bound.

Brad

[Celestialsailor]

Hey Tao...Way to go man!!! You are a person that sees the glass 1/2 full not 1/2 empty. Sure the prior owners woulda, shoulda, coulda but you pulled it all together my man. Good on ya.

[TaoJones]

Check out the picture, currently running in The Honolulu Advertiser, of Snickers upon his arrival in Honolulu today in the arms of the ship's captain, Evans Hoyt. Go to honoluluadvertiser.com, then click on "puppy saved" in the top left section of the page. If you read this after another story replaces it, search for "After a 'ruff' life, dog left at sea heads to new Vegas home" in the newspaper's archives.

TaoJones

[Janet H]

Norwegian cruise ship rescues shipwrecked dog - The Cruise Log - USATODAY.com

[UncleBob]

I am delighted to hear about Snickers, but what about Gulliver? Any news?

[PRO-THC]

I am on Oahu and heard about this wonderful story on local tv news channel. I was very happy to hear Snickers had already found a home, but I must confess - a bit jelouse too - because I had hoped to try and adopt this dog locally if nobody had yet! (I am sure me - and - half the island population too)

What a great story! I am very happy to know Snickers is going to such a great home on the mainland. Be sure and post some pics when that cute & cuddly little heart breaker gets home to you TAO & ALOHA from Hawaii!

Todd.

[mangomuffins]

Tao,

On behalf of all pet owners everywhere, I wish to extend my deepest thanks and best wishes for everyone who pulled together and accomplished a miraculous task.

Warmest regards,
mm

[TaoJones]

Thank you for your kind words mm, PRO-THC (hmmmm), Uncle Bob and thank you for relaying the private message, Janet H.

When I got involved in this effort on March 24th, I had no idea what I was getting involved in: The story has grown out of all proportion, with every news outlet on Oahu calling, then the Vegas stations got onto the story today, so they're working it from here. I could have easily deflected all of their inquiries, and would have for the sake of my privacy and the fact that Snickers is going to need some time to regain his health and cope with his new existence, but, as Uncle Bob observed, there's still a vital component to this story that hasn't been resolved.

Gulliver is still on Fanning.

And though he will soon be moved to Christmas Island, it is still very uncertain what the final outcome will be for him. Those of us who've been struggling with this for weeks, now, collectively decided that all of the press attention to Snickers could be used to direct attention to Gulliver's plight.

Snickers has, essentially, become Gulliver's ambassador. And it doesn't hurt that he's the cutest little guy you could ever hope to have as your "spokesman." The Honolulu Advertiser is running an updated version of their original story today, with a gallery of six pictures. The last one is pretty special.

When this all began, I only knew that a macaw and a dog were going to be killed if they weren't rescued ASAP. For all I knew, Snickers could have been a three-legged Pit Bull, with one eye missing, so when he turned out to be an unbelievably cute Cocker Spaniel, well, I was captivated.

He is, as you might imagine, seriously underweight, but yesterday I received a call from Dr. Heather Honda, veterinarian at the Hawaii quarantine facility, and she reported that, after a cursory once-over, he seemed, generally, to be in pretty good shape. Today, she intended to give him a more thorough exam. If everything is OK, he will receive a Certificate of Good Health and can be sent to the mainland soon thereafter.

Hawaiian Air has offered to fly him to LAX and promote it, so my expenditures to date have been minimal - probably less than $100 to the q-facility, and maybe twice that in telephone calls - but because of the kind assistance of NCL and Hawaiian Air, the Hawaiian Humane Society, Peter Forman, and so many others, I will donate what I've saved to the Hawaiian Humane Society as a token of my profound appreciation for their invaluable help.

Rigo Neira, there, is the hero of this story, in my eyes.

TaoJones