After two months at sea: castaway Australian abandons his dog after rescue

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Stranded Australian Tim Shaddock had been in the Pacific Ocean with his dog Bella on a catamaran that was unable to maneuver for more than two months – after being rescued, he has now abandoned the animal in Mexico. Shaddock gave the dog to the tuna trawler captain who saved his life, the fishing company’s boss, Antonio Guerra, told Mexican media on Wednesday.

The mixed-breed bitch came across the 54-year-old Australian shortly before he left Mexico – unable to find another home for the stray dog, he took her on his boat.

“I am still alive”

Shaddock and Bella left the Mexican coastal city of La Paz in April for a 6,000-mile journey to French Polynesia. But after a short time, his catamaran “Aloha Toa” was damaged in a storm. For weeks, the disabled boat and its two occupants drifted across the Pacific – until the tuna trawler crew rescued the two more than 1,500 miles from either coast.

On Tuesday, the amateur sailor set foot ashore for the first time in the Mexican port of Manzanillo – thin, with a shaggy beard and hair, but surprisingly physically fit and in a good mood. “I’m still alive,” he told reporters. After the supplies on the boat ran out, he subsisted on rainwater and raw fish.

The Australian said he had “many, many, many bad days” at sea. What helped him most was his four-legged companion. Bella was just “incredible,” “she’s much braver than me,” he praised the bitch. “I’m so glad she’s alive.” (AFP)

Source: Blick