Has there been a thread about Geronimo?

If there is a vaccine available against Bovine TB why can't it be used routinely on animals such as alpaca, llamas etc. which will not enter the food chain?

How would you handle the badgers with TB if you could vegansrock?

I’m afraid I’m with the crowd here, he’s tested positive twice, just get it done. There are far more important things going on in the world than the fate of this alpaca.

I agree maddyone but I don't know why he and his ilk couldn't have been vaccinated when he was very young - human children used to be.

Perhaps Geronimo needs help from Tonto and the lone Ranger

Apparently he was vaccinated Callistemon and his owner is claiming this may have caused a false positive test result.

I guess there are indeed far worse things going on in the world than the fate of one small alpaca, but the day we stop caring about such minor things, or about animals that matter to us, or even those that matter to others like us, is another day where we lose a bit more of our humanity. And choosing not to care about Geronimo and the human who loves him will not make things one bit better for all those suffering in Afghanistan, in Syria, Iraq, and all the places in the world where terrible things are happening. It is perfectly possible to care about all those things at the same time.

Isn't he dead yet? I thought the deed had been done.

The only good I can see which may possibly come out of all this is that it's highlighting the need for alternative to TB culling.

Badger culls have been ineffective in halting bovine TB and in many cases have made it worse. A large number of eminent scientists have opposed the badger cull on the grounds that it cannot solve the problem of bovine TB in cattle. A letter signed by 31 renowned scientists in October 2012 stated “we believe … that licensed culling risks increasing cattle TB rather than reducing it.” This was followed in 2015 by a group of 27 independent vets who wrote an open letter expressing their professional concern that the scientific evidence should be re-examined before authorising further culling activity. These included whether a thorough Disease Risk Analysis had been completed for the policy. As far as Geronimo goes , alpacas are not bovine and there is little evidence to suggest the standard test is effective, and no evidence that an isolated animal would spread disease .

I thought the order was stopped some time last week for a further test, which was positive. The order was then reinstated but local vets are hesitant to carry it out because of the strength of popular feeling. It's very sad and unfortunate, but those of us without expertise in this area should accept that rules are rules however much we think our own cases are an exception.

www.gov.uk/government/news/green-light-for-ground-breaking-bovine-tb-vaccine-field-trials

Hopefully these trials for an effective bovine vaccine will be successful, sorry, deviated from Geronimo.

Everything you have said sounds like a clear endorsement of changing the system vegansrock.
Did Defra have any concrete reasons to challenge these findings?
I suppose the cost implications of imposing a new regime would need thinking about.
From what you have said, it does seem a lot more complicated than at first.

Apparently he was vaccinated Callistemon and his owner is claiming this may have caused a false positive test result.

I must have missed that nightowl

He does have a sweet little face .....

Thank you for that link Jaxjacky. Deviate all you like
Actually it was a useful read. Another successful vaccination on the horizon?

its very sad, but those of us without expertise should accept that rules are rules however much we thi k our own cases are exceptions
This was the perspective I was initially coming from.
But if we believe the gov. is in the wrong, then we should peacefully protest, no?

He does have a sweet face....
Yes he does.
But you raise a good point Callistemon because that's part of the problem with us humans.
We tend to love and want to preserve those animals who appeal to us.
Try raising money or interest in spiders for example.

It is sad nightowl, and I am an animal lover. We’ve had rescue cats in the past, and I was terribly upset when two of had to be put to sleep due to illnesses. It must be harder when the animal appears healthy and you can’t think to yourself that you’re at least helping them from having to suffer even more with the end result the same. In this particular case I think it’s more a case of the greater good. And it’s cruel to keep this animal alone as alpacas are herd animals.

As a farmer's wife I'm furious that this alpaca wasn't culled 4years ago our cattle would have been if they were positive

Yes, the world is going to hell in a handcart. Hence the need for a summer story to take our minds off the perpetual doom and gloom. A beautiful animal which his owner is trying to protect because she believes the test results are flawed … and this is England. Don’t we put our animals first? When this alpaca story reaches its inevitable conclusion, Afghanistan and it’s horrors will still be there, so will the pandemic and so sadly, will Brexit.

My Aunt suffered a long illness and died after contracting TB in the 60s. TB needs to be eradicated, the animal should b culled. It isn’t just cattle that are protected by removing any possible sources of infection.

Surely the alpaca story raises the whole question of culling as a 'solution', something which humans seem quite happy to do to other species.
Sometimes we take refuge in concentrating on the 'smaller' stories, because we cannot cope with the horror of those larger dreadful stories.

This animal cost the owner many thousands of pounds because it is pure black and she wanted to breed from it. I believe that if it was just a ‘run of the mill, ordinary colour’ she wouldn’t’t be fighting the decision so adamantly. It’s all about money. Farmers lose whole herds because of one infected animal, but they, sadly, have to put up with it. Let’s face it, we don’t want TB in our food chain.

Yes, if it was vaccinated recently it may be a false positive. We took a dog to Sweden about 25 years ago where they tested him positive for leptospirosis and I explained he'd been vaccinated against it for the past 13 years. They agreed it was false positive and let him enter the country, it was the vets decision.

Can someone please tell me who or what is Geronimo other than an American Indian?

He is an alpaca usuallyright. story here he has a cute face and an elegant neck

i think all the fuss is the fact that it is a pet to her, how would most of you feel if it was you dog or cat, vets are now saying that geronimo should be studied and not killed, those vets are saying the diagnosis was unsafe.

Sometimes we take refuge in concentrating on the 'smaller' stories, because we cannot cope with the horror of those larger dreadful stories.

Very true.