BRISTOL, ENGLAND - AUGUST 25: Veterinary nurse Helen Macdonald with the alpaca Geronimo at Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire on August 25, 2021 in Bristol, England. Geronimo, the alpaca, tested positive for bovine tuberculosis and is due to be slaughtered on the orders of the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). However, 13 leading vets, including Prof Ranald Munroe, the former head of pathology at Defra) have called on the government to stop the culling of Geronimo and suggest he is studied for insight into the shortcomings of the current bTB testing policy.
Veterinary nurse Helen Macdonald with the alpaca Geronimo at Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire on August 25, 2021 in Bristol, England. Geronimo, the alpaca, tested positive for bovine tuberculosis and is due to be slaughtered on the orders of the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). However, 13 leading vets, including Prof Ranald Munroe, the former head of pathology at Defra) have called on the government to stop the culling of Geronimo and suggest he is studied for insight into the shortcomings of the current bTB testing policy. (Photo by Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images)
Photo by Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images
  • Geronimo, the beloved alpaca that became a British sensation, might not have been sick.
  • New reports show conflicting information between the UK government and the alpaca's owner.
  • Geronimo was killed in August after twice testing positive for bovine tuberculosis.
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Geronimo, the beloved alpaca that was killed last month by the UK government after twice testing positive for bovine tuberculosis, might not have been sick, according to multiple reports.

A government post-mortem examination of Geronimo found evidence of the disease, which is highly infectious and leads to the slaughter of thousands of livestock in the UK each year, the BBC reported on Wednesday.

"A number of TB-like lesions were found and in line with standard practice these are now undergoing further investigation," the government's chief veterinary officer Christine Middlemiss said in a statement.

But vets working with Geronimo's owner Helen Macdonald, who owns the farm near Bristol, said there was no evidence of bovine tuberculosis, according to reports.

Vets supporting Macdonald reviewed the early findings of the post-mortem, sent by the UK's Government Legal Department, and found no evidence of the disease, The Telegraph reported.

"As reviewed by Dr Iain McGill and Dr Bob Broadbent, the preliminary gross post-mortem findings are negative for visible lesions typical of Bovine Tuberculosis," the lawyers said in a statement.

Macdonald requested the full findings of the post-mortem, including preserved fluid and tissue samples, and will pursue her own independent testing, Sky News reported.

Geronimo was condemned to death earlier this year after the positive tests, leading to a saga that featured legal battles and protests attempting to save the animal's life.

In August, Macdonald tried and failed in court to halt the killing, and was told she had one day to kill the animal herself. When she didn't do that, the UK's Department of Food, Environment, and Rural Affairs gave a warrant for executioners to enter Macdonald's farm sometime before September 4 to look for Geronimo. They ultimately killed the alpaca on August 31.

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