It’s the alpacalypse for Geronimo
Should the government be worried about a backlash?
This might sound like wooly thinking when it comes to alpacas but I wonder the state sanctioned assassination of Geronimo today might lead to problems for the government. Last week I was genuinely shocked by the result of this poll from YouGov where 40% of the public said human lives are worth the same as animal lives coupled with 3% said animal lives are worth more. I expected to see those who said human lives are worth more to be higher than the 49%.
That YouGov poll was taken at the height of the former water soldier Pen Farthing’s attempt to get his animals out of Afghanistan so the poll should be remembered in that context. However if the language used by the Daily Mail could become problematic for the government, another nexus point might be if any of Pen Farthing’s animals need putting down. Given the Geronimo saga lasted years this could be awkward for Boris Johnson especially given his wife’s beliefs and the role she was reported in playing in helping Pen Farthing’s animals out of Afghanistan this could run and run.
As for a backlash, the government has culled tens of thousands of badgers, because like Geronimo there was a worry about bovine tuberculosis, and the government has suffered no harm. I suspect after the Covid-19 pandemic there is no appetite amongst voters for another one.
TSE
PS – Why has no one talked about the shameful cultural appropriation of Geronimo’s owner by giving him a name revered by Native Americans?