Almost comic try to rescue dog turns costly

AP / San Diego Union-Tribune ^ | April 26, 2002 | Jaymes Song

[buzzyboop]

HONOLULU – An almost comically ineffectual effort to rescue a dog stranded aboard a tanker adrift in the Pacific has people in Hawaii and beyond asking: What is a dog's life really worth?

The extraordinary operation to save 2-year-old Forgea has cost $48,000 in private funds, and the Coast Guard is prepared to spend taxpayer dollars on what has become one of the most expensive animal rescues ever.

"I think it's ridiculous," said Cyndi Damo, a dog owner from Huntington Beach, who is visiting Honolulu. "There's many ways the money could've been better spent – there's still children that go to bed hungry."

"I think it's cool," Honolulu resident Darryl Uekawa said. "It's the right thing to do."

Forgea, a 40-pound white terrier mix, has been alone on the crippled tanker Insiko 1907 since April 2, when the cruise ship Norwegian Star rescued the captain and 10 crew members. An engine room fire aboard the Indonesian tanker March 13 killed one crew member and knocked out power and communications aboard the ship, which serviced fishing boats with fuel and supplies. As of yesterday, the tanker was more than 600 miles southwest of Honolulu.

It is unclear why Forgea was left behind during the rescue, but the Taiwanese captain – the dog's owner – said there may have been a language barrier between himself and the rescuers from the cruise ship.

A Norwegian Star passenger's remark about the dog on the local TV news prompted viewer calls to the Hawaiian Humane Society, which started a rescue effort April 5 that was called off two days later when the Insiko could not be found.

A week later, a Japanese fishing boat spotted the tanker, but Forgea's condition wasn't known until a Coast Guard plane saw the dog running across the bridge Saturday. Yet when a fishing vessel arrived the next day to help, Forgea, who has lived on the tanker since she was 8 weeks old, ran from rescuers and hid below deck.

Fishermen spent two days trying to tempt the dog with peanut butter and calling out "come" in Mandarin, the language she was raised hearing.

By Tuesday, the Insiko drifted within U.S. territorial waters around Johnston Island and into the jurisdiction of the Coast Guard, which has authority to treat the 256-foot Insiko and its 60,000 gallons of diesel fuel and lubricating oil as a hazard to the marine life around the atoll.

The Coast Guard has allotted up to $250,000 to avert an environmental disaster – an operation that also will include the rescue of Forgea and an attempt to recover the remains of the dead crew member, said Coast Guard Capt. Gilbert Kanazawa, who is in charge of the operation.

A salvage tug hired by the Coast Guard was sent from Honolulu on Tuesday with Humane Society-approved dog traps, and it is expected to reach the tanker today. Coast Guard officials, however, said a decision has not been made about what to do with the tanker.

The Hawaiian Humane Society said its rescue effort will be covered by $30,000 from the Humane Society of the United States and donations from animal lovers around the country. The tab could run higher if the tug's crew is unable to capture the dog and the Humane Society has to fly someone to the ship.

"It's not tax dollars. It's not coming from people that don't like animals," said Martha Armstrong of the national Humane Society in Washington. "That's what we do; that's what our mission is. Whether it's one dog or a million."

[buzzyboop]

Let PETA pay for it..

[smith288]

I saw pictures of the dog running across the bow and I did feel bad for the poor dog... she is probably eating the dead persons remains or something... Im a dog owner with a 3 yr old dobie and she is family to me...i wouldnt leave her behind and would ask even Peta to help me... yes, i love my dog THAT much..... Its what Peta is good for...rescuing dogs.

"People for the Emergency Transport of Animals" sounds about right...

[CPOSharky]

"I think it's ridiculous," said Cyndi Damo, a dog owner from Huntington Beach, who is visiting Honolulu. "There's many ways the money could've been better spent – there's still children that go to bed hungry."

And how many children could your vacation money have fed?

Sheesh!

[mlmr]

Let me understand this, The coast guard will no longer rescue and tow stranded boats that are not in serious difficulty, but will rescue somebody's dog??

[Huck]

And how many children could your vacation money have fed?

Doesn't she know there's people starving in China???

[Joe 6-pack]

PETA folks don't have the courage to do something such as rescue this dog. I remember in Korea during the Monsoon season a bull got swept into the Imjin river and ended up on a land mined island between the two Koreas. Of course the SK equivalent of PETA was far too busy protesting the American presence and Keh-gogi houses. Ultimately, it was the ROK Marines that went to save the animal in an operation planned with tremendous precision. I don't remember if they drew nk fire, but that was a fear during the planning process!

In as much as the dog's owner is Taiwanese, it only begs the question as to whether or not it is destined for the table anyways...

[Fzob]

This is a good example of stupid journalism.

Coast Guard is prepared to spend taxpayer dollars on what has become one of the most expensive animal rescues ever.

That is not what's happening.

The Coast Guard has allotted up to $250,000 to avert an environmental disaster..

The Coast Guard gets to tow the damaged vessel in and then the stupid dog can be rescued at nearly no cost. They are not spending tax payer money to save the dog

An engine room fire aboard the Indonesian tanker

Please send the bill to Indonesia.

[Catspaw]

No, the Coast Guard is trying to prevent the tanker from spilling its oil in & around Johnston Island. The article distorts the purpose of the mission of the Coast Guard.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Doesn't she know there's people starving in China???

Name two. (As I used to say to my mother.)

[Honcho]

"It's not tax dollars. It's not coming from people that don't like animals," said Martha Armstrong of the national Humane Society

So if you a taxpayer you don't like animals? These people are morons.

[texson66]

No Chow and Hung Chow

[basil]

Apparently, the Coast Guard is also going to remove the remains of some humans who were killed in the fire. I see nothing at all out of order here, except the "journalist" who wrote the story.

[norraad]

The poor dog is stressed, of course, but feels even more danger from attempts to remove him from "his home"(8 years there).

I work at a refinery & no one can catch the Beagle who lives there somehow for years now.

We're going to have a lot more accidents at sea, commerce ships have suffered the effects of penny pinching corpo-fools something awful lately, a thousand ticking time bombs floating about the seas.

[Go Gordon]

It is unclear why Forgea was left behind during the rescue, but the Taiwanese captain – the dog's owner – said there may have been a language barrier between himself and the rescuers from the cruise ship.

He probably told the rescuers that his dinner was still on board and they ignored him.

[banjo joe]

Interesting that they call themselves "journalists" now. I remember when they called themselves "reporters". Let's see: a reporter reports, a journalist keeps a journal of opionions, feelings and reactions. Very appropriate, then.

[varon]

Name two.

Ping Pong and Ding Dong.

[fourdeuce82d]

"I think it's ridiculous," said Cyndi Damo, a dog owner, "there's still children that go to bed hungry."

Feed them your dog.