A California animal rights activist, Zoe Rosenberg, is on trial for taking four chickens from Petaluma Poultry, a plant that supplies Perdue Farms. Rosenberg, 23, faces felony conspiracy and multiple misdemeanor charges after entering the facility in 2023. She maintains that her actions were an attempt to rescue animals she believed were being abused.
Rosenberg testified that she disguised herself as a worker using a fake badge and earpiece to gain access to the plant. She shared video footage of her actions on social media and said her motivation was concern for animal welfare rather than criminal intent. “These chickens were incredibly ill and they needed care and I think that when an animal is in distress, when an animal is being abused and the authorities aren’t stepping in, and they aren’t helping those animals that we do have the legal right to help them ourselves,” Rosenberg told The Associated Press before closing arguments began.
“My intent was to help animals and to do so legally, not to break the law,” she added.
Prosecutors argue Rosenberg’s actions were illegal. According to reports from The Press Democrat, prosecutors say she entered Petaluma Poultry without authorization four times and attached GPS devices to delivery vehicles before removing the chickens while about 50 members of Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) demonstrated outside.
Perdue Farms has described DxE as an extremist group aiming to disrupt the animal agriculture industry. The company denies any mistreatment of animals at its facilities.
Defense attorney Kevin Little framed the case by stating: “this is not a whodunit. This is a why-dunit.” Another lawyer for Rosenberg, Chris Carraway, said in a statement: this “was a rescue, not a crime.”
Rosenberg’s defense included evidence that she had investigated alleged abuse at the facility for months with input from veterinarians concerned about possible mistreatment.
Sonoma County has previously prosecuted several cases involving animal rights activists. In 2023, DxE co-founder Wayne Hsiung was sentenced following protests at local farms. Another activist associated with DxE reached a plea agreement earlier this year after facing similar charges.
As part of her release conditions pending trial, Rosenberg wore an ankle monitor until recently. On social media ahead of closing arguments she wrote: “An immense amount of government resources have been spent prosecuting me for the alleged ‘crime’ of rescuing four abused chickens from a Perdue slaughterhouse.” She continued: “Most distressing…is the fact that these resources are not being spent on stopping the criminal animal cruelty at Perdue’s facilities. Poppy, Ivy, Aster, and Azalea are safe but so many others are not.”
During cross-examination last week Deputy District Attorney Matt Hobson asked if Rosenberg wanted open rescues like hers to become common practice everywhere; she replied affirmatively.
Rosenberg has previously been arrested during other high-profile protests related to alleged animal abuse in large-scale farming operations. DxE states on its website: “We will achieve revolutionary social and political change for animals in one generation.”
