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PRESS RELEASE

Felony Animal Rescue Trial Begins

September 15, 2025

Zoe Rosenberg, 23, is charged with felony conspiracy and 3 misdemeanors for rescuing chickens from Perdue’s Petaluma Poultry slaughterhouse

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PRESS RELEASE

Felony Animal Rescue Trial Begins

September 15, 2025

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PRESS

Berkeley Animal Activist Faces Prison in Sonoma Chicken Theft Case

September 15, 2025

KQED

Direct Action Everywhere is known for “open rescues,” in which activists enter farms where they believe animals are being abused and remove them. The group said it aims to expand laws that allow rescuing dogs from hot cars to include removing animals from farms where abuse is suspected.

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PRESS

Berkeley Animal Activist Faces Prison in Sonoma Chicken Theft Case

September 15, 2025

KQED

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BLOG

Perdue Rescue Trial Court Watch - Pre-Trial Updates

September 12, 2025

The Perdue Rescue Trial begins on Monday, September 15th at the Sonoma County Superior Court in Santa Rosa, California.

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BLOG

Perdue Rescue Trial Court Watch - Pre-Trial Updates

September 12, 2025

The Perdue Rescue Trial begins on Monday, September 15th at the Sonoma County Superior Court in Santa Rosa, California.

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PRESS

I Rescued 4 Chickens From Abuse; Now I’m the One Facing a Felony Trial

September 9, 2025

Common Dreams

My trial is expected to last several weeks, though there is no doubt that I did what prosecutors say. My alleged crime? Taking less than $25 worth of chicken. This wouldn’t normally lead to felony charges or a government-monitored GPS tracking device. But, you see, the four chickens I took were alive.

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PRESS

I Rescued 4 Chickens From Abuse; Now I’m the One Facing a Felony Trial

September 9, 2025

Common Dreams

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PRESS

Fairmont Empress Hotel Goes Fur-Free Following Victoria Campaign

September 2, 2025

Capital Daily

The Empress Hotel—and the entire Fairmont chain—is going fur-free, much to the satisfaction of a local animal rights group that has been calling for the policy changes... for the past three years, fellow members of the Victoria chapter of Direct Action Everywhere staged monthly protests by the Empress and wrote chalk messages on the sidewalk in front of the hotel.

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PRESS

Fairmont Empress Hotel Goes Fur-Free Following Victoria Campaign

September 2, 2025

Capital Daily

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PRESS

A California County Embraces Humane Farming. These Animal Activists Demand More.

September 2, 2025

The New York Times

Ms. Rosenberg, 23, says that she found chickens at Petaluma Poultry covered in scratches and bruises, including some with high fevers and serious infections. There was also evidence, she said, that birds were being scalded alive, instead of killed before broiling, because the slaughter lines were moving too quickly.

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PRESS

A California County Embraces Humane Farming. These Animal Activists Demand More.

September 2, 2025

The New York Times

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PRESS

Activists Deploy 16-Foot Boat Demanding Trader Joe’s Cut Ties with Petaluma Poultry

September 1, 2025

The Daily Californian

Cardboard ocean waves, sailor hats and a 16-foot sailboat set the scene Saturday outside of the Trader Joe’s on University Avenue. Animal welfare activists aboard the boat parked outside the store warned customers passing by to “steer away” from Perdue’s Petaluma Poultry, a company the activists allege engages in animal cruelty.

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PRESS

Activists Deploy 16-Foot Boat Demanding Trader Joe’s Cut Ties with Petaluma Poultry

September 1, 2025

The Daily Californian

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PRESS RELEASE

Animal Rights Activists Stage Large “Boat” in Creative Protest Urging Trader Joe’s to Drop Petaluma Poultry

August 30, 2025

Activists use Trader Joe’s nautical theme to urge the company to follow its moral compass and steer away from Petaluma Poultry

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PRESS RELEASE

Animal Rights Activists Stage Large “Boat” in Creative Protest Urging Trader Joe’s to Drop Petaluma Poultry

August 30, 2025

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PRESS

Three Weeks Ahead of Felony Trial, UC Berkeley Activist Pleads Her Case on Campus

August 28, 2025

The Daily Californian

Rosenberg and DxE have also been encouraging people to sign their petition to the Sonoma County District Attorney, asking them to redirect the resources used on her case to prosecuting animal cruelty at factory farms in Sonoma County. Hundreds of people signed the petition when Rosenberg and DxE were protesting on campus during Caltopia this week.

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PRESS

Three Weeks Ahead of Felony Trial, UC Berkeley Activist Pleads Her Case on Campus

August 28, 2025

The Daily Californian

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Our Top Press Hits

TOP PRESS

She Said She Was Rescuing Chickens. A Jury Convicted Her of Conspiracy.

October 29, 2025

The New York Times

The four chickens she took with her — whom she named Poppy, Ivy, Aster and Azalea — are alive at a sanctuary for rescued farm animals, she said. “I will not apologize for taking sick, neglected animals to get medical care,” Ms. Rosenberg said in a statement. “When we see cruelty and violence, we can choose to ignore it or to intervene and try to make the world a better place.”

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TOP PRESS

UC Berkeley Animal Rights Activist Found Guilty in ‘Chicken Rescue’ Trial

October 29, 2025

San Francisco Chronicle

But even if the appellate court doesn’t reverse Rosenberg’s conviction, she likely won’t regret having risked prison time to force a trial. Her trial, by some measures, was still a success. Several national publications — including The New York Times and the Associated Press — covered it, raising awareness of DxE’s goal to eradicate America’s factory-farming industry by 2040.

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TOP PRESS

California Woman on Trial for Taking Chickens from Perdue Farms' Plant Says She Was Rescuing Them

October 28, 2025

The Associated Press

A California animal rights activist on trial for taking four chickens from one of Perdue Farms’ major poultry plants said Tuesday that she was rescuing Poppy, Ivy, Aster, and Azalea from abuse while prosecutors say she broke the law.

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TOP PRESS

She Took Chickens from a Slaughterhouse. Was It a Rescue or a Crime?

October 24, 2025

The Guardian

I asked Rosenberg what outcome she was hoping for. “My ideal outcome is honestly just whatever is best for the animals,” she said. “An acquittal wouldn’t set an actual legal precedent, but it would set a social precedent, to some extent, and send an important message.”

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TOP PRESS

UC Berkeley Activist Testifies She Saved Sick Birds, Not Stole Them, in Chicken Rescue Trial

October 17, 2025

San Francisco Chronicle

Before a jury in a Sonoma County courthouse, Rosenberg testified that she believed at the time that her actions, often called “open rescue,” were “lawfully justified” to prevent what she considered “criminal animal abuse” by Petaluma Poultry, a Sonoma-based operation owned by Perdue Farms, a major poultry supplier nationwide.

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TOP PRESS

Berkeley Grad’s Chicken ‘Rescue’ Trial Begins in Sonoma County with Question of Intent vs. Crime

October 6, 2025

San Francisco Chronicle

Though Rosenberg is technically the one on trial, they plan to force a deep review of the often-unsavory practices occurring at meat-processing facilities across the country.

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TOP PRESS

How the FBI and Big Ag Started Treating Animal Rights Activists as Bioterrorists

June 2, 2025

The Intercept

“Animal rights and environmental groups have committed more acts of terrorism than Al Qaeda,” warned an FBI agent who met with Big Ag groups.

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TOP PRESS

This California Student Could Go to Prison for Taking Four Chickens. Was It a Crime or a ‘Rescue’?

May 1, 2025

San Francisco Chronicle

Just four months after she graduates on May 17 with a bachelor’s degree in social movement strategy, the straight-A student will stand trial in a Sonoma County courtroom for her June 2023 incursion into Petaluma Poultry, a processing facility owned by agribusiness giant Perdue Farms. If convicted for taking four chickens Perdue valued at around $24, she faces up to 5½ years in prison.

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TOP PRESS

These California and Colorado Ballot Measures Are Terrifying the Meat Industry

October 10, 2024

Vox

In principle, there’s a lot of sense in capping the size of factory farms. Measure J’s proponents are betting that progressive Sonoma County, better known for its tasting rooms than its slaughterhouses, can push California — and the nation — in that direction.

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DxE's Blog

BLOG

Is Animal Advocates' Most Underused Tool... Humor?

May 15, 2017

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BLOG

Justice For All Mothers

May 14, 2017

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BLOG

Songs of Liberation: Creating a Soundtrack for the Animal Rights Movement

May 12, 2017

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BLOG

Animal Rights News Recap 5/12/2017

May 12, 2017

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BLOG

Animal Rights Activist Profile: Araceli Rodriguez

May 10, 2017

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BLOG

Morning Fresh: A Machine Sprung Forth From Nightmares

May 8, 2017

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BLOG

Animal Testing: The Irony of Veterinary Training

May 5, 2017

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BLOG

Animal Rights News Recap 5/5/2017

May 5, 2017

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BLOG

Rescued Animal Profile: Annie

May 4, 2017

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Our Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE

Activists Evoke “Chicken Run” in Retelling of Real-Life Rescues

January 27, 2024

Playing with characters and plot elements from the new film Chicken Run 2: Dawn of the Nugget, the protest featured “Zoe Rosenbird” coming to the rescue of sick, injured chickens and transforming the operation that tortured them into an animal sanctuary.

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PRESS RELEASE

Activist Sentenced to Jail for Rescuing Sick Animals from Factory Farms

November 30, 2023

The University of Denver’s Animal Activist Legal Defense Project is working on the appeal. Attorney Chris Carraway said, “I often hear courts describe trials as a search for the truth. Mr. Hsiung’s trial was anything but. The press had limited access; trial participants were unconstitutionally gagged from the beginning; and the court bent over backwards to prevent the defense from detailing the chronic animal cruelty found which informed the intent behind the actions."

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PRESS RELEASE

Berkeley Factory Farm Ban Qualifies for November 2024 Election

October 19, 2023

“The thousands of signatures we’ve collected this summer are a testament to how enthusiastic the people of Berkeley are about disassociating with these cruel industries that run counter to our values,” says Berkeley resident and DxE organizer Kitty Jones. “It is high time we move past a system of industrialized exploitation of animals.”

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PRESS RELEASE

Activists Submit Required Signatures to Put Factory Farm Ban on Ballot

September 5, 2023

Activists say voter enthusiasm is high for a ban on factory farms in Berkeley after submitting more than 4,900 signatures to the Berkeley city clerk today, a large overshoot beyond the 3,000 required to get the measure on the ballot.

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PRESS RELEASE

Factory Farm Ban Likely to Be on Ballot After Activists Gather Required Signatures

August 1, 2023

"The vast majority of Berkeley voters that we've talked to care about animals and the planet and are eager to sign on to this initiative,” says Almira Tanner, lead organizer of DxE.

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PRESS RELEASE

Golden Gate Fields Horse Racing Track to Shut Down Following Years of Protests

July 17, 2023

“This closure is a win for horses and for vulnerable humans who are taken advantage of by the gambling industry,” says Rocky Chau, a DxE activist who was arrested during a protest on the GGF track in March 2021.

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PRESS RELEASE

Waves of People Rescue Sick Animals from Perdue's Petaluma Poultry Slaughterhouse, Following an Investigation Finding Rampant Abuse and Disease

June 13, 2023

Hundreds are gathered outside the slaughterhouse calling on the Sonoma County District Attorney to prosecute Petaluma Poultry for documented criminal animal cruelty and infectious diseases that are endangering public health

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PRESS RELEASE

Mice and Fish Rescued from Petco During Animal Liberation March in San Francisco

June 10, 2023

While hundreds rallied in support of the right to rescue animals from abuse, a few activists delivered “feeder” mice and suffering betta fish to safety.

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PRESS RELEASE

Trial Finally Scheduled for Animal Rights Activists Facing Felonies for Rescues in Sonoma County

May 31, 2023

Recent similar trials in St. George, UT and Merced, CA resulted in groundbreaking acquittals for open rescuers.

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