UK adventurer and author Ben Fogle has offered to pay for real-life castaway Tim Shaddock to be reunited with Bella the dog, his only companion during weeks lost at sea.
The Australian sailor, 51, was adrift in the Pacific Ocean after his boat was damaged by a storm.
He and Bella survived by eating raw fish and drinking rainwater.
They were found by a tuna boat, Mr Shaddock skinny and bearded but smiling in his catamaran as Bella wagged her tail, after a helicopter had spotted his craft.
“I was so moved and inspired by the story of Tim and Bella that I want to help them to be reunited again,” Mr Fogle wrote on Instagram.
“I would like to offer to pay for the quarantine and travel of Bella to Australia to join Tim Shaddock.”
Mr Shaddock met the dog in Mexico and said he tried to find her a home on land but she kept following him back to sea, so he took her on his journey.
But their friendship seemed to come to an end when he chose Mexican fisherman Genaro Rosales, a crew member on the tuna boat, to adopt Bella.
Tough import laws
Australia has some of the toughest animal import laws in the world, as well as high fees.
The country only allows people to bring in animals from approved countries. Mexico is not one of those countries.
During an interview with Australia's Today Show on Thursday, Mr Shaddock was asked why he left Bella in the care of the crew member.
“Yeah, well, look, I … Bella ended up coming with me, but I had these crazy visions of it was just the chopper here to get me,” Mr Shaddock began to explain before the interview was cut short, with the programme switching to New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins talking about a shooting in Auckland.
Mr Rosales reportedly promised Mr Shaddock he would take good care of Bella.
Mr Shaddock said he plans to return to Australia to spend time with family and friends.
Mr Fogle first appeared on screens more than two decades ago as a contestant on the BBC reality show Castaway, which sent a group of men, women and children to the Scottish island of Taransay to build a community from nothing.
He has since presented adventuring shows on BBC and ITV.
Australian sailor Tim Shaddock makes it to dry land – in pictures
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Australian sailor Tim Shaddock, second left, arrives at the port of Manzanillo, Mexico. AFP -
Crew member of the Mexican tuna vessel that rescued Mr Shaddock poses for a picture with Bella, Mr Shaddock's dog. AFP -
Mr Shaddock steps on to dry land. AFP -
Crew members of the Mexican tuna vessel pose with Bella. AFP -
Mr Shaddock, 54, went adrift with his dog Bella for three months. Reuters -
The sailor arrives at the port of Manzanillo. AFP -
Mr Shaddock is checked by a doctor. Reuters -
Mr Shaddock receives a temporary Mexican visa. Reuters -
The 54-year-old sailor is medically assessed. AFP -
Mr Shaddock and his dog Bella was adrift in the Pacific Ocean for three months. AFP -
He was 1,200 miles from land when he was rescued. AP -
Mr Shaddock's dog Bella. AP -
Mr Shaddock was rescued by the crew of a Mexican tuna vessel. AFP
