[TaoJones]

Here is a picture of Snickers, in the arms of Mark, the young crew-member from Pride of Aloha who gave Snickers his first haircut. He had started growing the typical Cocker coat in his four months on the loose on Fanning Island, and had gotten a lot of un-combable tangles.

Since he needed to be dusted with flea powder, and the powder is most effective down at the skin level, removing the tangled hair was necessary.

[I'm sorry, everyone. After years on a PC, I'm transitioning to a new MacBook. At sixty, it's not so intuitive, so chances are the picture I'm trying to upload isn't going to appear.]

Here's some more information on the rescue of Snickers.

Norwegian Cruise Lines kindly agreed to take Snickers aboard for the ride back to Honolulu - and, amazingly, this is the last time NCL will have Fanning Island on their itinerary. They will be back in Hawaiian waters soon, but go first to Maui, then Kona, then Kauai (I think) before arriving back in Honolulu on Wednesday, the 16th.

At that point, Snickers will go through Customs, then be taken to the animal quarantine facility nearby. There he will be given a thorough physical exam, any necessary shots and a Certificate of Good Health. At some point thereafter, probably the 19th, he will be taken back to the airport for a complimentary flight to the mainland.

I will meet that flight, and Snickers will soon be living in my new home. If you think you've ever had some difficult times dealing with some petty customs official, imagine trying to rescue two marooned animals from thousands of miles away, who sailed away from the west coast of the US without the necessary paperwork. Bound for Hawaii, the ship becomes disabled, drifts for 95 days across the Pacific, then crashes onto the fringing reef at Fanning Island in the Republic of Kiribati.

The ship and everything aboard are a total loss, except for the two crew, the puppy and the macaw. The animals, though, have now entered a foreign country where importation of animals is forbidden. What is more, the two humans aboard the vessel return to California within two weeks with just the clothes they're wearing. The animals are left behind in the care of one of the kind inhabitants of Fanning Island.

When the government of Kiribati, seated on Christmas Island, learns that the animals' owners have no intention of returning to Fanning to reclaim their pets, the powers that be order them destroyed.

A worldwide effort is begun when the two cruisers who are at Fanning, Lorraine and Robby Coleman, send the information on the animals' plight to Latitude 38. LaDonna Bubak writes the story, and it appears in 'Lectronic Latitude on March 24. When I read the story, just five days after having my sweet, crippled, 15+ year-old Border Collie euthanized, and one week before the scheduled closing on my new home, I call LaDonna to see if there is anything I can do.

After I have all of the information that LaDonna can give me that wasn't in her original story, I start trying to research what can be done. My first call is to Dr. Tim Falls, port veterinarian for the Port of Honolulu. He is a wealth of information, and I quickly learn that, where I had thought the bird would be easy to get back and the puppy difficult, it is going to be just the opposite.

When I find out just how difficult rescuing Gulliver, the macaw, will be, I decide to concentrate my efforts on saving Snickers. At that point, I didn't know if Snickers was male or female, large or small, or anything else about him, just that he was in a desperate situation.

I called Dr. Falls back and asked what he felt I needed to do to legally have Snickers returned to Hawaii. Understand, importing animals into Hawaii is one of the most difficult things to do, even if it flies there directly from Los Angeles and has never set foot outside the US. It quickly became apparent that I needed someone right in Honolulu to help me, and Dr. Falls suggested I contact the Hawaiian Humane Society, because, he said, "They've done things like this before."

Rigo Neira, director of operations at HHS, was the angel I needed on my side. After deciding that it wasn't some elaborate April Fool's hoax (he asked me point blank) he put an unbelievable amount of effort into effecting a rescue. He persuaded Norwegian Cruise Lines that they would look heroic if they cooperated. He persuaded Customs and quarantine that helping this poor dog was a kind thing to do. And he persuaded me that there are still decent people who do the right thing just because it's right.

With all of the agreements in place, Rigo drove down to the dock early on the morning of April 5th with animal carriers for both Snickers and Gulliver, a leash, flea powder, food, a flea collar and, I'm sure, more besides. Pride of Aloha would be stopping over at Fanning Island for only six hours, so a release of ownership rights naming me and signed by an official of the government of Kiribati had to be in receipt on the ship before they made port, Robby and Lorraine had to have rounded-up Snickers and be waiting for the ship, they had to meet up with a designated crew-member to get the items, clean Snickers up as best they could, get him into the carrier and aboard the tender for transport to the ship.

It went as planned, I'm told, and Snickers is said to have enjoyed the ride out to the ship in the tender, but he was "very, very tired." He is happily entertaining the young crew aboard the ship, and being entertained by them.

So far, so good. When I figure out how to post pics, I will do so.

Thank you, everyone, for your interest and support.

TaoJones

PS: I was just forwarded the following - it's a message sent to Robby from Captain Hoyt, Master of Pride of Aloha:

Subject: Fwd:From Captain Hoyt of the Pride of Aloha
Robby,
I'm glad you were able to come out. The voyaging community is a small
one spread over a vast area, so it is special to be able to connect back
into it. Hope Borau was digging the new things. Snickers is thriving.
He is eating regularly, appeared to have slept the night, and now comes
up to people to be petted. Still has a way to go, but has come light
years in one day. Seems healthy, just skinny. Fair Winds!

Best Regards,

Evans Hoyt| Master

M/S Pride of Aloha