Australian Man, his Dog Rescued by Mexican Boat after Drifting 3 Months in Ocean

In this photo provided by Grupomar/Atun Tuny, Australian Tim Shaddock has is blood pressure taken after being rescued by a Mexican tuna boat in international waters, after being adrift with his dog for three months. (Grupomar/Atun Tuny via AP)
In this photo provided by Grupomar/Atun Tuny, Australian Tim Shaddock has is blood pressure taken after being rescued by a Mexican tuna boat in international waters, after being adrift with his dog for three months. (Grupomar/Atun Tuny via AP)
TT
20

Australian Man, his Dog Rescued by Mexican Boat after Drifting 3 Months in Ocean

In this photo provided by Grupomar/Atun Tuny, Australian Tim Shaddock has is blood pressure taken after being rescued by a Mexican tuna boat in international waters, after being adrift with his dog for three months. (Grupomar/Atun Tuny via AP)
In this photo provided by Grupomar/Atun Tuny, Australian Tim Shaddock has is blood pressure taken after being rescued by a Mexican tuna boat in international waters, after being adrift with his dog for three months. (Grupomar/Atun Tuny via AP)

An Australian sailor who had been adrift at sea with his dog for three months has been rescued by a Mexican tuna boat in international waters, the fishing vessel's owner said Monday.

Timothy Lyndsay Shaddock, 54, was aboard his incapacitated catamaran Aloha Toa in the Pacific about 1200 miles (1900 kilometers) from land when the crew of the boat from the Grupomar fleet spotted them, the company said in a statement.

The company said Shaddock and his dog Bella were in a “precarious” state when found, lacking provisions and shelter. The tuna boat's crew gave them medical attention, food and hydration, it said.

Grupomar did not provide specific details on what day Shaddock was rescued or when he had started his voyage.

The tuna boat, captained by Oscar Meza Oregón, was expected to arrive in the Pacific coast port of Manzanillo on Tuesday with Shaddock and Bella.
Antonio Suárez Gutiérrez, Grupomar's founder and president, said he was proud of his crew, praising them for their humanity in saving the life of someone in trouble.

According to The Associated Press, Shaddock told Australia's Nine News television that he and his dog had survived on raw fish and rain water after a storm damaged his vessel and wiped out its electronics.

“I’ve been through a very difficult ordeal at sea and I’m just needing rest and good food because I’ve been alone at sea a long time," a thin and bearded Shaddock said in video broadcast by Nine on Sunday night Australian time.

“Otherwise, I’m in very good health,” Shaddock added.

The Sydney resident and his dog had sailed from the Mexican city of La Paz for French Polynesia in April, but the voyage ended within weeks, Sydney’s The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported.



Belgian Teens Arrested with 5,000 Smuggled Ants as Kenya Warns of Changing Trafficking Trends 

Belgian nationals Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx look on during the hearing of their case after they pleaded guilty to illegal possession and trafficking of garden ants, at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Law Courts, in Nairobi, Kenya April 15, 2025. (Reuters)
Belgian nationals Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx look on during the hearing of their case after they pleaded guilty to illegal possession and trafficking of garden ants, at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Law Courts, in Nairobi, Kenya April 15, 2025. (Reuters)
TT
20

Belgian Teens Arrested with 5,000 Smuggled Ants as Kenya Warns of Changing Trafficking Trends 

Belgian nationals Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx look on during the hearing of their case after they pleaded guilty to illegal possession and trafficking of garden ants, at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Law Courts, in Nairobi, Kenya April 15, 2025. (Reuters)
Belgian nationals Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx look on during the hearing of their case after they pleaded guilty to illegal possession and trafficking of garden ants, at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Law Courts, in Nairobi, Kenya April 15, 2025. (Reuters)

Two Belgian teenagers were charged Tuesday with wildlife piracy after they were found with thousands of ants packed in test tubes in what Kenyan authorities said was part of a trend in trafficking smaller and lesser known species.

Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, two 19-year-olds who were arrested on April 5 with 5,000 ants at a guest house, appeared distraught during their appearance before a magistrate in Nairobi and were comforted in the courtroom by relatives. They told the magistrate they were collecting the ants for fun and did not know that it was illegal.

In a separate criminal case, Kenyan Dennis Ng’ang’a and Vietnamese Duh Hung Nguyen also were charged with illegal trafficking in the same courtroom, following their arrest while in possession of 400 ants.

The Kenya Wildlife Service said the four men were involved in trafficking the ants to markets in Europe and Asia, and that the species included messor cephalotes, a distinctive, large and red-colored harvester ant native to East Africa.

The illegal export of the ants "not only undermines Kenya’s sovereign rights over its biodiversity but also deprives local communities and research institutions of potential ecological and economic benefits," KWS said in a statement.

Kenya has in the past fought against the trafficking of body parts of larger species of wild animals such as elephants, rhinos and pangolins among others. But the cases against the four men represent "a shift in trafficking trends — from iconic large mammals to lesser-known yet ecologically critical species," KWS said.

The two Belgians were arrested in Kenya’s Nakuru county, which is home to various national parks. The 5,000 ants were found in a guest house where they were staying, and were packed in 2,244 test tubes that had been filled with cotton wool to enable the ants to survive for months.

The other two men were arrested in Nairobi where they were found to have 400 ants in their apartments.

Kenyan authorities valued the ants at 1 million shillings ($7,700). The prices for ants can vary greatly according to the species and the market.

Philip Muruthi, a vice president for conservation at the Africa Wildlife Foundation in Nairobi, said ants play the role of enriching soils, enabling germination and providing food for species such as birds.

"The thing is, when you see a healthy forest, like Ngong forest, you don’t think about what is making it healthy. It is the relationships all the way from the bacteria to the ants to the bigger things," he said.

Muruthi warned of the risk of trafficking species and exporting diseases to the agricultural industry of the destination countries.

"Even if there is trade, it should be regulated and nobody should be taking our resources just like that," he said.