Geronimo (alpaca) facts for kids
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| Species | Huacaya alpaca |
|---|---|
| Born | 6 February 2013 Ruapehu District, New Zealand |
| Died | 31 August 2021 (aged 8) United Kingdom |
| Known for | Bovine tuberculosis controversy |
| Owner | Helen Macdonald |
| Parent(s) | Canchones Ferragamo ET Chelamar Gypsy Lass |
Geronimo (born 6 February 2013 – died 31 August 2021) was an alpaca who lived on a farm in Wickwar, England. He became famous because of a big argument about whether he had a disease called bovine tuberculosis (bTB). This disease can spread to other animals.
Geronimo tested positive for bTB. The British government has a rule to put down any animal that tests positive for this disease. His owner, Helen Macdonald, fought in court to save him. She believed the tests were wrong. After many court battles, Geronimo was put down.
Contents
Geronimo's Story
Geronimo was born on 6 February 2013 in New Zealand. He was a male Huacaya alpaca. His parents were Canchones Ferragamo ET and Chelamar Gypsy Lass.
In 2017, Helen Macdonald bought Geronimo. She brought him to the United Kingdom in August 2017. Before leaving New Zealand, Geronimo had four skin tests for bTB. All of these tests were negative.
When he arrived in the UK, Geronimo was kept separate from other animals. This is called quarantine. He then had two blood tests (called enferplex tests). These tests showed positive results for bTB.
However, a vet named Iain McGill said Geronimo had been "primed" before the tests. This means he was given a small amount of a substance that can make his body produce many antibodies. Antibodies are what your body makes to fight off sickness. Mr. McGill thought this might have caused the tests to show a false positive result. A false positive means the test says an animal has the disease, but it actually doesn't.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is a government department. They ordered Geronimo to be put down to stop the disease from spreading. Helen Macdonald disagreed with the test results.
The UK's Chief Veterinary Officer, Christine Middlemiss, said there was a very small chance of a false positive. She said it was less than 1 percent.
People's Reactions
Many people had strong feelings about Geronimo's case.
The Environment Secretary, George Eustice, said that farmers understand the risk of sick animals. He said losing an animal is sad, but it is sometimes necessary.
The Prime Minister's spokesman, for Boris Johnson, said the Environment Secretary had looked at the case many times. He said experts and vets agreed that Geronimo tested positive.
Keir Starmer, a leader in the government, also supported putting Geronimo down. He said it was sad, but there was no other choice. He understood why people were upset.
Abi Reader, who works with farmers, said the tests are not perfect. But she said they are the only tests available. She had lost many of her own animals to bTB.
A group of senior vets wrote an open letter. They were worried about how the government handled Geronimo's case. They thought Geronimo's diagnosis might not be correct. They asked the government to talk about it.
Efforts to Save Geronimo
Many people wanted to save Geronimo. A petition was started to ask the Prime Minister and Defra to stop his killing. More than 140,000 people signed it.
Famous people like Chris Packham, a wildlife activist, supported the campaign. The Prime Minister's father, Stanley Johnson, also helped. People even held a protest outside Downing Street to try and save Geronimo.
Court Battles
Helen Macdonald went to court many times to save Geronimo. The first court hearing was in March 2019. The court dismissed her appeals. This means the court did not agree with her.
In May 2021, a judge ordered that Geronimo be put down. Macdonald appealed again, but the court said no. The judge felt sympathy for her. But he said it was important to protect against the serious effects of bTB.
On 17 August 2021, the court agreed to think about stopping Geronimo's destruction for a short time. This was while Macdonald tried to show new information. But the judge ruled against stopping it. She said Macdonald had "no prospect" of winning. Macdonald said her legal costs to save Geronimo were very high.
Geronimo's Death
On 31 August 2021, vets from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) came to the farm. Police officers were with them. They took Geronimo away. A protester was briefly arrested for trying to spray police with a water pistol. Later that day, Defra announced that Geronimo had been put down.
Helen Macdonald asked for an independent vet to be at the post-mortem (an examination after death). The government said no. Macdonald said Defra and APHA were not being open and fair. The British Alpaca Society also complained about how Geronimo was taken. They said it caused him distress.
On 8 September, the chief veterinary officer, Christine Middlemiss, said that "TB-like lesions" were found during the post-mortem. Lesions are damaged areas of tissue. More tests were planned. Helen Macdonald and her vets disagreed with these findings. They said there were no typical bTB lesions. They asked for a full report and samples for their own tests.
Macdonald said Defra did not tell her how Geronimo was put down. She thought they were hiding information. Defra said they would give her the information later. George Eustice defended the decision. He said the test used had a very low chance of error.
A more detailed post-mortem report was given to Macdonald in September 2021. It said the lesions on Geronimo's neck were not typical of bTB. Macdonald and her vets said this showed he did not have the disease. They also said he had a traumatic death. Defra said it would take months to confirm if he had the disease.
On 10 December 2021, Defra said the post-mortem tests were not clear. Iain McGill, the vet who advised Macdonald, said it was "extremely unlikely" Geronimo had TB. The BBC reported that Macdonald believed the test was flawed. She thought Geronimo tested positive because he was "primed" with a substance from bTB bacteria.
See also
- Gangotri (cow), a cow that was put down in 2007.
- Shambo, a bull that was put down in 2007.
