Right to Rescue

Featured Case

Rescuing Phoebe and Celia from Whole Foods' Goat Graveyard

Four activists were charged with felony grand theft, felony conspiracy, and trespass for openly rescuing two sick, baby goats from the largest goat milk producer in the U.S., Meyenberg, which supplies to Whole Foods and other major retailers. The rescue followed a months-long investigation that found dozens of dead mother and baby goats were regularly being dumped into an illegal dead pile on the property. Rescuers named the goats Phoebe and Celia and got them veterinary care for their respiratory infections and conjunctivitis. In August, a Kings County, CA judge reviewed the evidence of animal cruelty that DxE documented prior to the rescue and ruled to reduce all of the felonies to misdemeanors. Then he went further and granted a judicial diversion, meaning all charges will be dismissed following completion of 40 hours of community service and 5 months of probation. This is a big win for the rescuers. But the Kings County District Attorney is still not addressing the animal cruelty.

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Dear District Attorney Hacker,

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

16 US states have laws that allow ordinary people to rescue 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

Kings County, CaliforniaSept. 23, 2026
VICTORY: Judge Trevino granted judicial diversion for Carla, Sally, Taj, and Joe, the four DxE activists who rescued sick baby goats Phoebe and Celia from a "Certified Humane" Meyenberg goat dairy. All charges will be dismissed once they complete 40 hours community service and 5 months of probation. Judge Trevino made this rare decision over the prosecution's objection after reviewing the cruelty evidence DxE documented at Vera Goat Dairy prior to the rescue. This is a hopeful sign for the open rescue movement. The San Francisco Chronicle covered this positive ruling, with a focus on the cruelty these goats endure behind the "Certified Humane" label. Read the article here. And help us share the news about this win!

Kings County, CaliforniaAug. 25, 2026
VICTORY: After reviewing the animal cruelty evidence, Judge Jim Trevino ruled to reduce all of the four defendants’ felony charges to misdemeanors! Share the news! He also granted a motion to compel Kings County’s elected District Attorney Sarah Hacker to disclose evidence of her relationship with the farm owners. Defense attorneys had alerted the court to DA Hacker’s prior representation of the farm property owners in a class action lawsuit brought by workers at the dairy. She also received thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the dairy when she ran for District Attorney. Body cam footage of the day these rescuers were arrested shows that from the beginning, law enforcement was determined to overcharge this case. We’re grateful that the judge saw through it.

Dane County, WisconsinJune 15, 2026
VICTORY: Ridglan Farms is releasing all the dogs and shutting down completely! This was only made possible by nearly ten years of campaigning, the hundreds of activists who risked arrest, and the rescue organizations that stepped up to negotiate with Ridglan’s lawyers and provide the dogs with safe places to go. Big Dog Ranch Rescue secured a deal for the remaining beagles to be released and it includes the permanent closure of Ridglan's cruel operations. Not just its breeding operation, which was already going to close as part of a deal Ridglan struck last year to avoid animal cruelty charges, but also Ridglan's on-site animal experimentation operation. Now, there is just one major breeder of dogs for experimentation left in the country: Marshall BioResources in upstate New York. Activists are now focusing their efforts on shutting down Marshall. Share the news!

Sonoma County, CaliforniaApr. 30, 2026
VICTORY: The California Court of Appeals just overturned Wayne Hsiung’s felony conviction for his role in rescuing 37 abused hens from Sunrise Farms. They also overturned his misdemeanor trespass conviction for his role in the rescue of 32 sick ducklings from Reichardt Duck Farm. The Court ruled that Wayne should have been allowed to argue that he believed his actions were legal under the necessity defense. Further, the Court wrote that “Neither this court nor the California Supreme Court has ruled that the necessity defense applies exclusively to situations involving physical harm to a human,” validating that individuals could have the right to violate laws in order to rescue animals from extreme harm. The Court did not overturn his misdemeanor trespass conviction for his actions at Sunrise Farms or make a clear ruling affirming that the necessity defense actively does apply to nonhuman animals. Consequently, Wayne will be appealing to the California Supreme Court on this issue. Nevertheless, this is a major step forward towards establishing the Right to Rescue and positioning animals as persons under the law. Thank you to the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project for leading the effort on this appeal. Read some of the press coverage here.

Dane County, WisconsinApr. 18, 2026
Today, over 1,000 people converged at Ridglan Farms to nonviolently attempt to save the dogs still trapped inside. Dane County Sheriffs responded with tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, and stinger grenades. They knocked peaceful activists to the ground and brutalized them. This police brutality sparked widespread media attention and is generating even more public support to free the dogs.

Kings County, CaliforniaMarch 26, 2026
NEW CASE: Four animal rescuers have just been charged with felonies for rescuing two baby goats, Phoebe and Celia, who were sick with respiratory infections on a Whole Foods-supplying goat dairy. The 9,000-goat operation produces milk for the nation’s largest goat milk brand, Meyenberg. Carla, Sally, Joe, and Taj are charged with felony grand theft, felony conspiracy, and trespass. Read more here.

Dane County, WisconsinMarch 15, 2026
A coalition of activists entered Ridglan Farms today and openly rescued 22 dogs from a life of experimentation. 8 others were seized by Dane County Sheriff’s deputies after being rescued. Last year, Ridglan agreed to shut down its breeding operation by July 1, 2026 to avoid felony animal cruelty charges. But this delay has left thousands of dogs inside the facility still subject to Ridglan’s abuse and destined to be sold to labs across the country. The government is failing these animals. So ordinary people are taking action themselves.

Sonoma County, CaliforniaDec. 24, 2025
Zoe was released from jail early today, after being approved to spend the last 60 days of her 90-day sentence on house arrest rather than in jail and due to California's half-time credits for good behavior cutting her 30 days in half. Read more in the SF Chronicle.

Sonoma County, CaliforniaDec. 10, 2025
Zoe Rosenberg surrendered herself at the jail tonight to begin her sentence. Watch local TV coverage here.

Sonoma County, CaliforniaDec. 3, 2025
Zoe Rosenberg was sentenced to 90 days in custody for saving four chickens from Perdue’s Petaluma Poultry slaughterhouse. Zoe spoke at her sentencing hearing and did not express remorse for saving them. Rather, she stated, “I am filled with remorse for every animal I have failed to save."

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Featured Case

Rescuing Phoebe and Celia from Whole Foods' Goat Graveyard

Contact the District Attorney

About the Right to Rescue

Recent Updates

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