Monday, 18 Nov 2024

Slain Geronimo's legacy lives on after daughter gives birth to a boy

Slain alpaca Geronimo will live on — after his daughter gave birth to a boy who looks just like his famous granddad.

Leonie and Neville Walker, who run Nevalea Alpacas in New Zealand, shared a sweet photo of the newborn on social media.

They appealed to the public for help in naming him, saying they wanted suggestions ‘with a link to the UK’ to ‘honour his grandfather Geronimo’.

Geronimo was put down by the British government vets in August over disputed claims he had bovine tuberculosis, which his owner Helen Macdonald denied.

 Nevalea Alpacas said his grandson’s name had to begin with ‘P’ and asked for people to comment on the post with suggestions.

They wrote: ‘LA CHERIE has just unpacked this gorgeous boy this morning.

‘La Cherie is a doting mum and always talking to him. He has been very active this afternoon, races around mum and then he gets tired and needs a drink and a nap.

‘So what are we going to name him??? We are looking for suggestions…. But it must begin with P and we would like it to be something hopefully with a link to the UK, in honour of his Grandfather Geronimo, so please comment below with your suggestions.’

Inventive ideas included Peronimo, Pride, Picasso, Prince G, Prince Geronimo, Piccadilly and Paddington.

Nevalea Alpacas, which is north of Taumarunui on New Zealand’s north island, is home to more than 950 alpacas.

The new baby is Geronimo’s second grandchild. He mated with two alpacas in New Zealand before he came to the UK, producing females La Cherie and London.

London gave birth to Geronimo’s first grandchild, brown alpaca Oakwood.

When Geronimo arrived in the UK, he was put in quarantine away from other alpacas on Helen Macdonald’s farm near Wickwar, Gloucestershire, so had no other offspring.

Reacting to the birth of Geronimo’s second grandchild, Ms Macdonald told The Sun: ‘Geronimo’s new grandson will ensure that his legacy and spirit always live on. Always.’  

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Ms Macdonald launched a fight against Defra to save Geronimo that caught global attention.

The alpaca was consigned for slaughter after he twice tested positive for bTB in 2017.

Miss Macdonald has always disputed the results – but her four year legal battle came to a tragic end last summer, when the High Court ruled that Geronimo should be killed.

Footage shows the condemned animal being dragged away by officials and police from his farm with a rope around his neck.

He was loaded into a horsebox, taken away under police escort and then executed.

Miss Macdonald continues to fight Defra officials after a post-mortem found no trace of the disease.

She said Geronimo was ‘needlessly seized and killed’ and accused Defra of making false claims about his bovine TB status – something the government denies.

She said: ‘It’s still very hard to bear for me and all those who witnessed such unnecessary cruelty. There must be a public inquiry and reform of bTB policy.’

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