Right now, a CCTV camera inside the pen of an English farm is broadcasting a live feed, its owner determined to capture the fate of the UK's most controversial farm animal - a New Zealand-born alpaca named Geronimo.
The fight to save Geronimo has found a wellspring of support. Tens of thousands have signed a petition, and protesters gathered outside the DEFR in London on 9 August. Photo: AFP
Time is running out for Geronimo, who has twice tested positive for the potentially devastating bovine tuberculosis, and who authorities have ordered must be euthanased.
But supporters of his owner, Helen MacDonald, say the odds have been unfairly stacked against the eight-year-old alpaca.
Here's how the case went from a farm in South Gloucestershire to the UK's High Court.
Geronimo the asymptomatic alpaca
MacDonald, a vet nurse and alpaca breeder, imported Geronimo from New Zealand in 2017, and claims he was healthy at the time.
Geronimo the alpaca must be destroyed due to risk of spreading disease, UK authorities say. Photo: Supplied/ Facebook
However, he's since twice tested positive for bovine tuberculosis.
The UK's Department of Environment, Food and Regional Affairs (DEFRA), which is responsible for the order to have Geronimo destroyed, describes bovine TB as "the most difficult and intractable animal health challenge that we currently face".
DEFRA argues the test used to detect TB in alpacas has a false positive rate of less than one percent, and that Geronimo already received the benefit of doubt when he was tested a second time.
But MacDonald and Geronimo's supporters say both tests could be false positives, because the test used requires an injection of tuberculin before a result is taken.
DEFRA disputes this, and says the injection does not introduce live TB into an animal.
MacDonald and her supporters have called for a different kind of test to be administered before any decision is made.
For several years now, Geronimo's life has hung in the balance as DEFRA and MacDonald wrangled over the validity of his diagnosis and whether he should be put down.
MacDonald launched a petition calling for Geronimo to be given a reprieve, and that's when Geronimo's case went global.
Time is running out for Geronimo
The petition started by MacDonald at the end of July, calling on UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson to intervene and allow a different test to be administered, has amassed more than 135,000 signatures.
Celebrities, and even Johnson's own father, have publicly voiced support for Geronimo, but the UK government has held firm that he must be euthanased.
Protesters marched on DEFRA offices and the UK's tabloids splashed the animal's face across front pages.
It all came to a head this week when MacDonald's last-ditch attempt to obtain an injunction against Geronimo's destruction failed in the High Court.
After the hearing, MacDonald said DEFRA had told her they would not execute their warrant before 5pm on Friday local time.
The government has said it would give MacDonald time to arrange for Geronimo to be euthanased - something she refuses to do.
"They're trying to wear me down and get me to euthanise a perfectly healthy animal. I'm not going to do that. Simple as that," MacDonald told The Guardian.
In anticipation of a potential move by DEFRA, supporters vowed to form a human shield to block access to the farm, and MacDonald has installed a live-broadcasting camera in Geronimo's pen.
With the alpaca out of legal options, the stage is set for a showdown when the UK government decides Geronimo's time is up.
-ABC
