a alpaca The eight-year-old, named Jeronimo, who was at the center of a legal dispute with the British government and whose ordeal sparked a national campaign to keep her alive, has been euthanized after she was tested positive for bovine tuberculosis twice.
A video clip shows veterinary staff in blue suits, masks and goggles, guarded by police officers, arriving at the farm in western England where the animal lives and taking it away.
The order to kill the alpaca sparked pleas from its owner, Helen MacDonald, to the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and his wife, Carrie, for mercy, leading some celebrities to demand the abandonment of what they saw as a public relations disaster. .
Protesters showed up at the McDonald’s farm in recent weeks to protect him after the government ordered his slaughter. More than 140,000 people signed a petition calling for the creature to be saved.
“The infected animal was removed from the facility and euthanized by staff from the Animal and Plant Health Agency as a necessary measure to control the spread of bovine tuberculosis,” the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said in a statement.
Bovine tuberculosis is a chronic bacterial disease of cattle and occasionally other mammals. It can be transmitted to humans by ingesting unpasteurized milk.
Veterinary nurse MacDonald said the alpaca tested negative when brought in from New Zealand and the government’s diagnosis is believed to be a false positive result. He spent thousands of pounds in a failed court battle to save the animal.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister said it was very sad for someone to lose an animal.
“Our condolences go out to Mrs. MacDonald and to others affected by this terrible disease,” he said.
“Thinker. Professional twitter fanatic. Certified introvert. Troublemaker. Unapologetic zombie maven.”