An alpaca sent to death row has won a stay of execution as its owner prepares an appeal.
Veterinary nurse Helen Macdonald, 47, lost a High Court battle in which it was after testing positive for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in 2017.
But the euthanisation plans have been put on hold while Ms Macdonald launches as appeal.
Ms Macdonald said: ''Unless the court’s decision is successfully appealed, Geronimo will soon be slaughtered.
"We are in the process of filing an application for permission to appeal, which we expect will be filed by the end of this month."
An order has been made preventing Geronimo being killed while the application to the Court of Appeal is outstanding.
Ms Macdonald has always disputed the positive test for bTB, claiming the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is "relying doggedly on flawed science".
She said: "We believe that, apart from the two highly questionable test results (based on tests prior to which Geronimo was primed multiple times with tuberculin), all of the evidence indicates that Geronimo is not infected with bTB.
"Geronimo still displays no clinical signs of bTB, nor do the other alpacas that have been held in isolation with Geronimo for the last two years.
"It is part of my duty of care as an owner and my right to expect fair treatment from my government that Geronimo is tested correctly.
"I am also deeply concerned that the High Court’s decision may have very negative implications for the voluntary surveillance testing of camelids for bTB in this country.
"This is why we continue the fight by making our application to the Court of Appeal."
Six-year-old Geronimo, who is said to be worth £30,000, was brought to the UK from New Zealand in August 2017 and has been kept in isolation ever since.
Ms Macdonald - an alpaca owner for 16 years - has fought a year-long battle to save Geronimo.
She managed to crowdfund £10,000 in legal frees to have her case heard in the High Court.
But in his ruling on 9 July Justice Murray dismissed Ms Macdonald's case, ruling there was no "compelling evidence" that the decision not to retest Geronimo was unlawful.
Ms Macdonald, who runs Alpaca Power in Wickwar, South Gloucestershire, claims the test result was incorrect - and has been backed by the British Alpaca Society.
She claims the test carried "false positive results" and has always maintained Geronimo remains in "strikingly good health".
In July 2018 Ms Macdonald challenged Defra to allow Geronimo to be retested for bTB.
At a judicial review in March , Helen's lawyers told the High Court there was "overwhelming evidence" Geronimo was not infected and the original test results were "not reliable".
Geronimo tested negative for bTB twice while still in New Zealand, but later tested positive in the UK in August and December 2017.
Defra is responsible for controlling BTB, which can have devastating consequences for cattle farmers.
Defra has been contacted for comment.
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