11 Aug 2021

UK: Geronimo the TB infected alpaca seeks reprieve from death

From First Up, 5:31 am on 11 August 2021

Yesterday it was Franklin the orphaned donkey foal who defied death.. today it's Geronimo the alpaca .. but his story may not have such a happy ending. You see the UK government want to kill him. It all started in 2017 when Helen McDonald from South Gloucestershire in England imported Geronimo from New Zealand The UK's Department of Food, Environment and Rural Affairs say that Geronimo has Bovine TB and needs to be euthanised. The alpaca has returned two positive tests for Bovine TB since being in the UK, but his owner Helen says they weren't appropriate tests and if Geronimo had the disease he wouldn't have lived for so long. She's calling for a different test as more than 100-thousand people sign a petition asking the Prime Minister Boris Johnson to spare him. Nathan Rarere spoke with Helen and asked her if her whole herd is at risk of being euthanised.