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The battle for Geronimo seems to be over

The British alpaca Geronimo tested positive for the contagious bovine tuberculosis disease twice and must therefore be slaughtered by the British Ministry of the environment. Vet and owner Helen Macdonald thinks the tests were wrong. Dozens of protesters care about the animal’s fate and want to save the alpaca.

Macdonald has been trying to save the animal for four years and has even gone to the Supreme Court, but without success. She lost the trial, which means Geronimo has to die within four weeks. According to British media, an arrest warrant has now been issued against the alpaca.

On Monday, dozens of protesters in front of the parliament building in London demonstrated against the decision of the ministry. More than 100,000 people have signed an online petition to save the alpaca. Even Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman spoke out on the case. “The fact remains that Geronimo tested positive for tuberculosis twice, using a very reliable and validated test. The Ministry of the environment has examined this case in great detail.”Feisty detail: Stanley Johnson, the Prime Minister’s father, has meanwhile come out in favour of a stay of execution.

The case has been dragging on for four years. In 2017, Macdonald brought Geronimo from New Zealand to England. He’s been in quarantine all this time because of a positive test for bovine tuberculosis. However, Macdonald does not believe that the tests are correct, because they are outdated and unreliable. In New Zealand, Geronimo would have tested negative four times.


Mary Johnson

Mary Johnson is a native of Leeds, journalist and PhD candidate at the University of Glasgow. She is mainly interested in foreign affairs, geopolitics and investigative journalism.

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