British government veterinarians have killed an alpaca, the verdict of which caused international headlines and pitted activists against the state.
LONDON – British government veterinarians on Tuesday killed Geronimo, an alpaca sentencing his death for carrying bovine tuberculosis made international headlines and pitted activists against the state.
Veterinary staff with robes, masks and blue glasses, supported by police officers, arrived at the western farm of England where the animal lives and removed Geronimo from his pen. The scene was witnessed by animal activists and journalists who camped on Wickwar Farm, 175 miles west of London, promising to stop the killing.
The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs confirmed that the animal had been euthanized and a post mortem examination would be conducted.
The controversial camelid was sentenced to death after twice testing positive in bovine TB. Geronimo’s owner, Helen Macdonald, argued that the tests had produced false positives and fought for a third test.
Several veterinarians supported his case, but earlier this month a Superior Court judge rejected Macdonald’s request for interim injunction to stop the killing order and reopen the case.
Macdonald, who imported Geronimo from New Zealand in 2017, said the destruction of the animal was “barbaric” and unscientific.
“The government has refused to participate in good faith,” he said. “Now we know they’ve chained us for the last week, avoiding us by saying people were on vacation and that they’d find us again this week … In fact, all the time they were just planning to murder Geronimo.”
Bovine tuberculosis can devastate livestock herds and damage farm incomes. Britain has been sacrificing animals (mostly badgers) to stop their spread for a decade, but the practice remains controversial.
The government said 27,000 cattle were slaughtered in 2020 to curb the spread of the disease.
“This is a terribly sad situation and our sympathies remain all affected by this devastating disease,” said Christine Middlemiss, UK veterinary director.
“No one wants to have to kill infected animals if they can be prevented. But we need to follow scientific evidence and eliminate animals that have tested positive for bTB to minimize the spread of this insidious disease and ultimately eradicate the greatest threat to to the animal health of this country, ”he said.