The Culling Fields of Geronimo

Peter Range

As a documentary photographer my aim is to use my skills and creativity to shed light on important social issues. My project, The Culling Fields of Geronimo, focused on the miscarriage of justice served by UK government officials in the case of Geronimo, an alpaca owned by Helen Macdonald. Geronimo was culled by vets after two positive tests for bovine tuberculosis, although Macdonald was adamant that the testing was flawed because the alpaca had been primed with tuberculin which is a purified protein derivative of the tuberculosis bacteria. The story caught the media’s attention, and a petition (sadly ultimately futile) with over 140,000 signatures was submitted to the government to stop the culling.

Through my observations - photographs and interviews - I documented the events leading up to Geronimo’s demise and highlight the improper testing of bovinetuberculosis in some UK animals. I aimed to capture the emotions and activities of the people involved in this global news story, including animal rights supporters, journalists and other media.

From this I created a book which I hope will raise awareness of the injustices that animals can face and encourage people to take action to ensure that animals are treated fairly and ethically. Through my photography, I strive to give a voice to those who cannot speak for themselves and to inspire positive change in our society.

The background to me getting interested in Documentary Photography started when my camera club SYPC (the Sodbury & Yate Photographic Society, based near Bristol, England) started a Special Interest Group in 2021 focusing on the art and skills required to create publications. Working with our mentors, professional photographer Emma Drabble and Dr David Clarke, we ran an online course in August 2021 for six students, all of whom produced a photobook of their chosen subject on completion of the course.

Each week course members had an assignment to undertake alongside a structured tutor-led programme of study and preparation of a book idea with ongoing support and expert guidance for each member, together with the challenge of completing a finished book within a given timeframe. Every course member successfully completed the course and produced a printed photobook mainly from the Blurb company or another software company of their personal choice. The weekly Zoom sessions lasted a minimum of two hours allowing each course member the time to learn and understand new techniques and openly discuss their ideas and concepts with their mentors.

I subsequently produced a club presentation of the project which two other local camera clubs have seen, followed by a one-month exhibition of club members work in Bristol.

All images ©Peter Range

www.blurb.co.uk/b/11477616-geronimo