Alpaca «Geronimo» must not die
The government has ordered the animal to be euthanised after it twice tested positive for bovine tuberculosis. But the animal's owner claims the tests are inaccurate.
The animal welfare initiative campaigning to save Geronimo, an alpaca in Great Britain allegedly suffering from bovine tuberculosis, appears to have failed.
However, the owners say they are prepared to block the Ministry of Environment's “cull team” with road closures and barricades if necessary.
Final death sentence for Geronimo
A British court has issued a final death sentence for the ailing alpaca «Geronimo»: the presiding judge at the London High Court declined to grant an injunction that would have spared the animal once more.
The fate of the alpaca, which had twice tested positive for contagious bovine tuberculosis, had recently made headlines beyond England. The British Ministry of Environment had ordered the culling of the animal to prevent further cases of the disease. However, owner Helen Macdonald believes the tests are unreliable and considers «Geronimo» to be healthy.
Helen Macdonald said that nine other animals subjected to the same test as Geronimo showed no signs of the disease after slaughter, suggesting a possible error in the tests.
Geronimo first tested positive for bovine tuberculosis in September 2017 and has been kept in isolation ever since, according to the owner's lawyers. The animal was imported from New Zealand that same year.
Round-the-clock watch
At her farm in the west English village of Wickwar, around 30 alpaca breeders, local residents, and activists had gathered to keep watch over «Geronimo» around the clock.
The Ministry of Environment decided not to carry out the culling on Wednesday, 18 August 2021, wishing to give the owner time to prepare. Helen MacDonald was given a deadline of 4:30 p.m. to have the animal euthanised.
More than 130,000 people have signed a petition signed, calling on the Prime Minister to stop the killing, which has sparked a public outcry.
Alpacas originally come from the South American Andes. Today, however, these camelids are bred throughout Europe. In Switzerland too, alpaca treks and holidays on alpaca farms are no longer a rarity.
