The beloved alpaca Geronimo could be killed from TODAY despite a last ditch celebrity-backed campaign and desperate plea to Boris Johnson to save him.
Owner Helen Macdonald, 50, fears staff from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will turn up at her Gloucestershire farm at 'any minute' to slaughter her animal after he twice tested positive for bovine tuberculosis (bTb).
She has always disputed the result, claiming Defra relied 'doggedly on flawed science.'
But the government body was defiant today, saying that while it 'sympathised' with Miss Macdonald's situation, 'we need to do everything we can to tackle this disease.'
It comes after actress Joanna Lumley and naturalist Chris Packham called on ministers to grant the stud from New Zealand a last-minute reprieve this week.
Meanwhile a petition demanding the prime minister step in has gathered more than 74,000 signatures.
It comes after Miss Macdonald lost her final attempt in the High Court last week to save Geronimo from slaughter.
Helen Macdonald, 50, fears staff from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will turn up at her farm at 'any minute' to slaughter Geronimo (Pictured: Miss Macdonlad with Geronimo Thursday)
It means from today, a new warrant issued calling for Geronimo's death takes effect.
The 'kill window' is open for 30 days and Miss Macdonald has now issued a last ditch bid for a late reprieve before it is too late.
Helen today called for Boris Johnson to step in and stop the execution.
She said: 'I want to hear from George Eustice or Boris himself.
'The least they can do is justify their position.
'From today if I haven't had him put down, they are now allowed to come here and shoot him.
'But I've not agreed to do anything - I've asked for them to stop this and do another test.
'They haven't responded, I haven't heard anything from them.
The 'kill window' is open for 30 days and Miss Macdonald has now issued a last ditch bid for a late reprieve before it is too late (Pictured: Geronimo on the day the 'kill window' opened)
'Stressed and upset': Geronimo's Facebook account, run by Miss Macdonald says it is 'grateful for all the support'
'They know this is wrong and they're hiding behind this wall and the law is as it stands.
'It's morally, ethically, wrong.'
A post from Geronimo's Facebook account, run by Miss Macdonald, read today: 'Stressed and upset to find ourselves in this awful situation but so very grateful for all the support from everywhere!'
The veterinary nurse, who breeds the species at her farm in Wickwar, south Gloucestershire, has been locked in a legal battle with Defra since 2017.
A Defra spokesperson said today: 'We are sympathetic to Ms Macdonald’s situation – just as we are with everyone with animals affected by this terrible disease.
'It is for this reason that the testing results and options for Geronimo have been very carefully considered by Defra, the Animal and Plant Health Agency and its veterinary experts, as well as passing several stages of thorough legal scrutiny.
'Bovine tuberculosis is one of the greatest animal health threats we face today and causes devastation and distress for farming
