Status: 08/31/2021 4:54 p.m.
Demonstrations and petitions with tens of thousands of signatures remained ineffective: According to the British Ministry of Agriculture, the alpaca Geronimo has been put down. The animal had tested positive for bovine tuberculosis.
After a long argument, the alpaca Geronimo was killed in England. The animal was euthanized to prevent the spread of the deadly and contagious bovine tuberculosis, said the Department of Agriculture in London. “Nobody wants to have to kill infected animals if it can be avoided,” said Christine Middlemiss, the agency’s chief veterinarian. But there was no alternative.
Geronimo’s owner sees it differently: Helen Macdonald asked for another and – according to her statements – more precise test until the end.
Premier Johnson’s family campaigned for animals
The Geronimo case had caused a stir in Great Britain for weeks. Even individual family members of Prime Minister Boris Johnson campaigned for the little camel – including father Stanley Johnson and Johnson’s wife Carrie, who is a committed animal rights activist.
Almost 150,000 people also signed a petition calling for the alpaca to be saved. There was a demonstration in London, and a self-appointed citizen militia kept vigil in the courtyard in the western English village of Wickwar. But ultimately in vain – the animal was killed.
The Geronimo case had caused a stir in Great Britain for weeks – there were demonstrations and “vigilantes” to draw attention to the fate of the animal.
Image: dpa
Last minute escape attempt was unsuccessful
This was preceded by dramatic scenes on Macdonald’s farm. Employees from the Ministry of Agriculture arrived in protective clothing – accompanied by the police. Macdonald had originally announced martially that he would throw a ball in the way for Geronimo himself. Now it went off more lightly. One woman fired a water pistol at an officer at close range and was temporarily arrested. Otherwise, there were loud insults and abuse.
For a short time Geronimo managed to escape. But eventually the animal was caught and maneuvered into a trailer. A few hours later, the ministry announced completion. “The infected animal was removed from the farm and euthanized by employees of the animal and phytosanitary authority as a necessary measure to combat the spread of bovine tuberculosis,” said the authority.
A judgment was implemented on time: a court had given the ministry until September 4th to put Geronimo to sleep. “We have to stick to the scientific evidence and cull animals that have tested positive for bovine tuberculosis,” said senior veterinarian Middlemiss. Ultimately, the important goal is to “eradicate the greatest threat to animal health in this country”.
Geronimo’s owner Helen Macdonald doubted the test result for bovine tuberculosis right up to the end.
Image: AP
Effects of the disease
Farmers in the UK are feeling the effects of the disease very much: in 2020 alone, more than 27,000 infected cattle had to be killed. The impact on farmers and villages is enormous, and the cost to taxpayers is more than £ 100 million a year, according to the Department of Agriculture. “Our condolences go to Ms. Macdonald and everyone else affected by this terrible disease,” said a government spokesman in London.
The government is doing all it can to get the epidemic under control. For years, badgers have been allowed to cull at certain times and in designated areas, as they can also transmit the disease – this, too, repeatedly provokes loud protests. The practice is slated to expire by 2022, despite protests from farmers. But alternatives are not yet ready to be decided.