Geronimo the alpaca could still be killed after 5pm on today despite a top judge agreeing to listen to fresh evidence in the animal’s defence that he should be allowed to live.
The alpaca was due to be put down after two tests found that he had bovine tuberculosis.
But owner Helen Macdonald, 50, has fought hard to overturn the ruling and the case has been in the media spotlight with celebrities having called for him to live and nearly 120,000 people have now signed a petition backing her.
While the government stood firm with ministers having said that it was in the interests of preventing the spread of disease that Geronimo be put down, a judicial review submitted last Friday has been accepted.
A High Court judge has asked for government statistics on alpacas that tested positive for tuberculosis but were found not to have it when they were slaughtered.
Still, Ms Macdonald has said she has no undertaking from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (defra) that the alpaca won’t be killed after 5pm on Tuesday.
She told The Sun: “The High Court confirmed my claim for judicial review has been accepted. We will receive a hearing date in due course.
“We requested Defra to extend their undertaking not to kill Geronimo until the High Court has determined my claim.
“However, Defra has only agreed not to seek to enforce the warrant until 5pm Tuesday.”
Ms Mcdonald believes the tests are returning false positives, and has been refused permission to have him tested a third time.
She has been backed by campaigners who believe that Geronimo is free of tuberculosis and that Defra's tests are likely to be inaccurate.
