Geronimo the alpaca to be slaughtered after High Court bid fails

18 August 2021, 17:07 | Updated: 18 August 2021, 17:37

Geronimo the alpaca is to be slaughtered
Geronimo the alpaca is to be slaughtered. Picture: Alamy

By Patrick Grafton-Green

Geronimo the alpaca will be slaughtered after his owner lost a last-ditch High Court bid to save him.

The animal has twice tested positive for bovine tuberculosis, making him a risk to other animals.

As a result, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has ordered his destruction.

READ MORE: Alpacas to join march on Downing Street in bid to save Geronimo

READ MORE: Geronimo the alpaca 'safe for now' ahead of high court review

Owner Helen Macdonald, who imported him from New Zealand, believes the tests are returning false positives, but has been refused permission to have him tested a third time.

She previously told LBC's Nick Ferrari: "Geronimo has not failed a validated test."

She added: "If they gave him the test he was supposed to have had, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Nick Ferrari speaks to owner of condemned alpaca Geronimo

Earlier this month, Ms McDonald lost her final appeal to save her beloved pet at the High Court in London and a warrant was signed for Geronimo's destruction.

She made a further bid to halt his destruction while Defra was investigated over claims it had not disclosed evidence relating to the testing regime used to test him and other camelids.

Geronimo has twice tested positive for bovine tuberculosis
Geronimo has twice tested positive for bovine tuberculosis. Picture: Alamy

But, in a ruling on Wednesday, Mrs Justice Stacey refused to grant injunctions to spare the alpaca and for further disclosure - signalling the end of the road.

Lawyers for Defra said there was no plan to slaughter Geronimo today and that Ms Macdonald will be given the opportunity to make her own arrangements for his destruction.

Thousands have come out in support of Geronimo in recent weeks, with more than 130,000 people signing a petition calling on Boris Johnson to halt the killing.

Animal rights protesters marched on Downing Street earlier this month
Animal rights protesters marched on Downing Street earlier this month. Picture: Alamy

Animal rights protesters were joined by alpacas during a march on Downing Street in an attempt to save the mammal.

As well as alpacas, badgers have been a victim of the fight against bovine TB, with mass culling employed to stop the spread since 2013, sparking a huge public backlash.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Andrew Gwynne.

Health minister Andrew Gwynne sacked over comments posted in WhatsApp group

Police officers hold back protesters trying to block the road.

Two arrested as protesters clash with police outside proposed site for new Chinese ‘mega-embassy’ in London

Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

'She's terrible': Trump takes swipe at Meghan, but will not deport Prince Harry

Freed Palestinian prisoners are greeted by a crowd as they arrive in the Gaza Strip after being released from an Israeli prison following a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip.

Emotional scenes in West Bank and Gaza as Palestinians reunited with their families after release from Israeli prisons

Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice Dasilva Aguiar and Bebe King.

'She was grateful for life': parents of Southport stabbing victims pay tribute to their children

Israeli hostage reunited with his family.

Emotional moment Israeli hostages reunite with families after being paraded on stage by Hamas

Police officers hold back protesters trying to block the road at the rally.

Protesters clash with police as thousands rally outside proposed site for new Chinese ‘mega-embassy’ in London

The father of the Huszti sisters has said he believes his daughters were "kidnapped" and "cruelly killed"

Heartbroken father of sisters found dead in River Dee believes they were 'lured to their death'

Hollyoaks star and country singer thought to be son of British couple shot dead in French villa ‘by UK gangsters’

Hollyoaks star breaks silence over death of mum found dead in French villa with her husband

Harvey Willgoose's parents Caroline Willgoose (left) and Mark (right) holder a banner as they march to Bramall Lane in memory of their son

Hundreds gather for memorial march after 15-year-old Harvey Willgoose stabbed to death at school in Sheffield

Police tell locals to stay away from Jeremy Clarkson’s pub due to large gathering of pony and traps

Police tell locals to stay away from Jeremy Clarkson’s pub due to large gathering of pony and traps

Pauline Quirke

Birds of a Feather star Pauline Quirke 'struggling to identify family members' amid dementia battle

Detail of the logo on a Sony PlayStation 5 home video game console

PlayStation Network hit with worldwide outage as tens of thousands of gamers locked out

The Government has ordered Apple to allow it to access encrypted files uploaded to the cloud by any Apple user worldwide, it has been reported.

UK Government orders Apple to give it access to users’ encrypted data in 'unprecedented attack on privacy'

The wreckage of the small commuter plane that crashed in western Alaska has been found

Missing Alaska Bering Air plane found with all 10 people on board confirmed dead

Hollyoaks star and country singer thought to be son of British couple shot dead in French villa ‘by UK gangsters’

Hollyoaks star and country singer thought to be son of British couple shot dead in French villa ‘by UK gangsters’