Slain alpaca Geronimo’s daughter has given birth to a boy, with his owners asking for help in deciding what to call the newborn.
Leonie and Neville Walker, who run Nevalea Alpacas, took to social media to share the happy news that La Cherie, the daughter of Geronimo, had given birth to a boy.
Sharing a sweet photograph of the newborn, the owners of the New-Zealand alpaca farm appealed to the public for help in naming him, saying they wanted suggestions ‘with a link to the UK’ to ‘honour’ Geronimo.
They said the name had to begin with ‘P’ and inventive suggestions included Peronimo, Pride, Picasso, Prince G, Piccolo Geronimo, Piccadilly and Paddington.
The birth of Geronimo’s grandson came just less than two weeks after what would have been the slain alpaca’s ninth birthday.
Leonie and Neville Walker, who run Nevalea Alpacas, took to social media to share the happy news that La Cherie (back), the daughter of Geronimo, had given birth to a boy (front)
It also came six months after Geronimo was put down by Government vets in August over disputed claims he had bovine tuberculosis, which his owner Helen Macdonald denied.
Nevalea Alpacas said the newborn all-black alpaca, who is the spitting image of his grandfather, had been ‘very active’ and enjoys racing around with his ‘doting’ mother.
Taking to Facebook, Nevalea Alpacas wrote: ‘Exciting news… 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.’
The owners of the New-Zealand alpaca farm asked for help in naming him, saying they wanted suggestions ‘with a link to the UK’ to ‘honour’ Geronimo (pictured with Helen Macdonald)
Nevalea Alpacas, which is north of Taumarunui on New Zealand’s north island, is home to more than 950 alpacas.
Geronimo mated with two alpacas in New Zealand before he came to Britain, producing females Nevalea La Cherie and London.
London gave birth to Geronimo’s first grandchild, brown alpaca Oakwood.
When he 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.’
Geronimo was put down by Government vets in August over disputed claims he had bovine TB, but post-mortem examinations carried found no trace of the disease.
Geronimo’s owner Helen Macdonald, 50, was adamant that he was not infected and launched a campaign to save him.
But after she lost her lengthy legal fight, officials escorted by police dragged him from her farm to be killed.
Geronimo’s killing was the culmination of a David and Goliath legal fight between her and Defra that gripped the nation.
The eight-year-old champion alpaca was consigned for slaughter after he twice tested positive for bTB in 2017.
Miss Macdonald has always disputed the results – but the legal battle concluded with a High Court ruling in July that he should be destroyed.
In August, Defra officials and dozens of police officers forced their way on to Miss Macdonald’s farm to take Geronimo away.
She said Avon and Somerset Police had questions to answer for ‘facilitating murder’ and accused Defra of ‘bully boy tactics’ that are ‘frankly unforgivable’.
Geronimo mated with two alpacas in New Zealand, producing females Nevalea La Cherie and London. London (right) gave birth to Geronimo’s first grandchild Oakwood (left)
Geronimo was put down by Government vets in August over disputed claims he had bovine TB. His owner Helen Macdonald (pictured) , 50, was adamant that he was not infected
Then, early tests carried out in September were inconclusive on whether the animal had bovine tuberculosis.
No lesions were found on Geronimo’s lungs or respiratory tract – the most common place they are exhibited in an animal with the disease.
But the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said its vets had discovered a ‘number of TB-like lesions’ in the liver and lymph nodes.
Further tests were carried out to try to establish whether the animal in fact had the disease, including the developing of bacteriological cultures from tissue samples.
The results, which were finalised in December, showed no traces of the disease.
In not confirming these results, Miss Macdonald accused Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss of being ‘a political stooge to cover up the Government’s incompetence’.
Speaking in December, she said: ‘For nearly five years, we have asked the Government to retest, reconsider and review their Bovine TB policy, appealing directly to the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and Secretary of State, George Eustice.
‘We offered Geronimo as part of a medical research project to develop a new bTB vaccine, we went through the courts multiple times to try and get to the truth, we offered for him to be retested, and at each turn we were blocked.
‘Instead, I have been subjected to years of bullying and harassment by DEFRA.
‘George Eustice has spent a ridiculous amount of British taxpayers’ money and resources on trying to prove that this one imported alpaca had Bovine TB, when we knew all along that he didn’t, and ultimately, he personally ordered for Geronimo to be condemned to an unjust death.’
