Pet galah goes on Pacific cruise and ends up with own cabin

And she even ended up with her own cabin on the boat !

She’d already been onboard for several days before being spotted. A crew member noticed Harri sunning herself on the ship’s deck when the cruise ship was en-route to New Zealand’s Fiordland.

Harri, 8, had slipped on board the ship in Australia on January 21.

Acting Head of Biosecurity Animal Division at the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, Jackie South, said “upon finding Harri the ship’s crew sought advice from New Zealand’s Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI), and they alerted biosecurity staff from my department.

“There were signs Harri was a pet bird, due to her microchip and leg ring, and our department tracked down her owners,” Ms South said.

“Following negotiation with the ship’s captain and MPI, Australian biosecurity officials set the conditions that needed to be met for Harri to be re-imported with our biosecurity safeguarded, taking into account New Zealand’s avian health status.

“MPI set clear directives for the cruise operators and Harri spent her holiday in an unoccupied cabin, without contact with other birds, and MPI personally reviewed her containment arrangement at each port.

“On return to Australia she passed a veterinary examination, and has now been returned to her owners—who themselves have just returned from a cruise. She had escaped on 13 January, and is thought to have found her way on to the decks as the ship prepared to depart on 21 January.”

Related: how a pet macaw flew 900kms to Sydney airport

Ms South said  Australia and New Zealand enforce strict biosecurity conditions on birds to protect animal and human health, along with valuable agricultural industries.

“Australia and New Zealand both have strict biosecurity conditions for bird imports, due to the risk of exotic diseases to our environments and unique native birds, as well as egg and poultry industries,” Ms South said.

“Perhaps Harri felt she too needed a holiday, but Australia and New Zealand treat biosecurity very seriously, especially in regards to foreign species.

“It was fortunate we were able to reach a good outcome, thanks to the cooperation between the vessel operators and Australian and New Zealand’s biosecurity officials.”