Great Britain: a protest and a petition in defense of the Jeronimo alpaca

On Monday afternoon, a small demonstration in defense of Jeronimo was also organized from the Environment Ministry building to the Prime Minister’s residence in Downing Street, although, contrary to the organizers’ initial announcements, no other alpacas were brought in for safety. reasons.

Six-year-old Jeronimo will be mercifully euthanized because two tests showed he had bovine tuberculosis, with the risk of spreading the disease to cattle. But its owner, a veterinarian, questions the validity of these tests and notes that in New Zealand, where the animal was brought from, it was examined four times and no disease was found.

Helen MacDonald recently lost an appeal to a court that refused to allow another test, and the environment department said that for the safety of other animals, Jeronimo should be euthanized.

However, the issue has become increasingly politically unsettling for Boris Johnson, not least because of the petition in question. On Monday, the prime minister’s father, Stanley, spoke out in defense of Jeronimo, and alpaca advocates announced that they would also seek the intervention of Prime Minister Carey’s wife, who previously worked for an environmental organisation.

But for now, the government has not changed its mind. We know how upsetting it is for everyone to lose their animals to tuberculosis. Therefore, the Minister of Environment considered very carefully and examined all the circumstances. A Johnson spokesman said the fact remains that Geronimo’s test has unfortunately been positive twice, using a highly sensitive, reliable and reliable test.

(metric tons)