Right to Rescue

Featured Case

Rescue at Perdue's Petaluma Poultry Slaughterhouse

DxE investigator Zoe Rosenberg is facing up to 8 years in prison for rescuing four sick chickens from a Perdue slaughterhouse in Sonoma County, California. She made sure the chickens, Poppy, Aster, Ivy, and Azalea, got the veterinary care they needed. Now, Zoe is being forced to wear a GPS ankle monitor and follow other strict requirements while awaiting trial -- all for nonviolent acts of compassion.

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Dear District Attorney Rodriguez,

I urge you to prosecute animal cruelty, not animal rescue. National polls consistently show overwhelming public support for strong legal protection for animals. Yet, countless investigations have shown that animal-using industries routinely violate animal welfare laws with no repercussions. It is time for a change.

Your office should be working with whistleblowers and rescuers to protect animals from abuse. Prosecuting these good samaritans who expose animal mistreatment is wildly out of line with the values of the public. A 2015 Gallup poll¹ found that a third of Americans believe “animals deserve the exact same rights as people to be free from harm and exploitation,” a 2022 YouGov poll² found that nearly half of Americans believe that animal cruelty laws in the U.S. are not strict enough, and a 2024 poll by Positive Sum Strategies³ found that 68% of Americans believe it should not be a crime to take an animal out of an environment where they are being mistreated.

The same sentiments are evidenced by two recent acquittals of animal rescuers. In October 2022, a Utah jury issued a groundbreaking “not guilty” verdict⁴ for two DxE investigators who openly rescued sick piglets from a Smithfield Foods factory pig farm. In March 2023, a California jury acquitted⁵ two more DxE investigators of theft charges for rescuing two sick chickens from a slaughter truck.

In many situations, the law already clearly asserts that rescuing an animal is not a crime. 14 US states have passed “right to rescue” laws to provide civil or criminal protection for people who rescue distressed animals from motor vehicles. Moreover, the common law doctrine of legal necessity provides that it is a defense to a crime if the act was necessary to prevent some greater harm. Law professors, including property law expert Professor Kristen Stilt at Harvard, have opined⁶ that the necessity defense applies to open rescues at commercial animal operations.

Prominent journalists, organizations, and cities have also chimed in to support the right to rescue, including in this New York Times article⁷ headlined “Rescuing Farmed Animals from Cruelty Should be Legal.”

Your office’s resources could be much better spent investigating and stopping crimes against animals. It is essential to address the root cause of the problem rather than targeting those attempting to bring attention to it. All animals deserve to be rescued from situations of distress and exploitation.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

References:
1. https://news.gallup.com/poll/183275/say-animals-rights-people.aspx
2. https://today.yougov.com/society/articles/42696-american-support-strengthening-laws-animal-cruelty
3. https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/eg07dfxhjq2n8vg6iejde/Positive-Sum-Strategies.pdf
4. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/08/science/animals-rights-piglets-smithfield.html
5. https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/23647682/factory-farming-dxe-criminal-trial-rescue
6. https://animal.law.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/DxE-Amicus-Brief.pdf
7. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/14/opinion/foster-farms-chicken-slaughterhouse-animal-cruelty.html

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About the Right to Rescue

14 US states have laws that allow the rescue of dogs from hot cars, and Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) is leading a campaign to extend these laws to apply to animals of any species in need of rescue, including in factory farms and animal experimentation facilities. The Right to Rescue campaign seeks to build support for animal rescue and ultimately, to establish a legal right to rescue animals from distress and exploitation. This would open the door to a new view of animals under the law - as people deserving of rights, rather than "property.”

Recent Updates

Sonoma County, CaliforniaMay 13, 2024
Today, Sonoma County Judge Lynette Brown dismissed multiple felony charges against UC Berkeley student and DxE animal cruelty investigator Zoe Rosenberg, after reviewing evidence presented at the preliminary hearing. Zoe now faces one felony conspiracy charge and three misdemeanors: trespass, tampering with a vehicle, and theft. Zoe and her co-defendant will appear in court on May 23 to be arraigned on the reduced charges they now face. You can read more in the press here.

Sonoma County, CaliforniaMay 3, 2024
DxE investigator and animal rescuer Zoe Rosenberg had her preliminary hearing today. The defense attorneys successfully argued that there was no evidence presented of a conspiracy to commit vandalism or any involvement in any vandalism, and the prosecutors had to agree. They dropped the felony conspiracy to commit vandalism charge, reducing the total number of felonies from four down to three. The judge said she will take some time to consider all the evidence presented and scheduled a hearing for May 13, where she will give her ruling as to whether there is probable cause to pursue the remaining charges. You can read more in the press here.

Dane County, WisconsinMar. 8, 2024
BREAKING: Ten days before trial, all charges have been DROPPED against Eva Hamer, Paul Darwin Picklesimer, and Wayne Hsiung who saved three beagles from Ridglan Farms, a factory farm that breeds dogs for experimentation. This case has been pending for years and we believe this dismissal is the result of pressure and press coverage that made it clear there is public support for animal rescue. Unfortunately, the Dane County District Attorney’s office is still failing to prosecute Ridglan Farms for criminal animal cruelty. It is more important now than ever that we keep the pressure on to get justice for these animals. Please help us share the news on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Read more +

An activist rescued chickens from abuse at a Perdue slaughterhouse

Now, she's facing years in prison.

Featured Case

Rescue at Perdue's Petaluma Poultry Slaughterhouse

Contact the District Attorney

About the Right to Rescue

Recent Updates

Featured Case

Rescue at Perdue's Petaluma Poultry Slaughterhouse

Contact the District Attorney

About the Right to Rescue

Recent Updates

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