GERONIMO WAR CRY
Battle to save pet alpaca goes on
GERONIMO the alpaca has been given until at least 5pm to live and the fight is not over, says his owner.
Protesters have vowed to form a human shield to save the eight-year-old, which was sentenced to death after two positive tests for bovine tuberculosis.
Owner Helen Macdonald, 50, warned the Government: “I’ve got the world behind me. Defra have a choice. They can either work with us or they can try and kill him in front of the world.”
She claims the Department for Enviroment, Food and Rural Affairs has told her that it will not try to enforce the destruction warrant before 5pm today.
She believes the two BT tests Geronimo had are false positives but she has been refused permission for a third test.
Ms Macdonald said: “I’ve been having this hanging over my head for a really long time and it is not over and we will keep going. It’s exhausting and you have to look at what effect it is having on me and my family.
“Every day is a new day. There has been masses of emails and everything has been manic.”
Earlier this week, a group marched on Downing Street in a bid to halt the killing and more than 130,000 people signed a petition urging the Prime Minister to spare the creature’s life. Yesterday worried friends, family and campaigners gathered at Ms Macdonald’s farm in Wickwar, Glos.
She said: “The supporters were really angry and upset.
“There are really safe solutions, and the Government is choosing the worst possible scenario in permanent destruction. We have to keep going and hope they come to the table.”
On Wednesday, a High Court judge refused an application to stop the destruction order and reopen the case into the alpaca, which was imported as a pet from New Zealand.
A Defra spokesman said: “We’re sympathetic to Ms Macdonald’s situation – just as we are with everyone with animals affected by this terrible disease.
“The testing results and options for Geronimo have been very carefully considered by Defra, the Animal and Plant Health Agency and its veterinary experts, as well as passing several stages of thorough legal scrutiny.
“Bovine tuberculosis is one of the greatest animal health threats we face today and causes devastation and distress for families and communities.”
He added that all steps must be taken to stop BT spreading and to protect the livelihoods of those affected.
They can either work with us or try to kill him in front of the world
HELEN MACDONALD GIVES ULTIMATUM TO GOVERNMENT