Going to Prison for Rescuing Hens?!? Animal Activism on Trial with Zoe Rosenberg
Our Hen House: Vegan & Animal Rights Movement | Stories from the Frontlines of Animal Liberation
Intro
This chapter features an interview with an activist facing felony charges for rescuing chickens, shedding light on the challenges of animal rights. The discussion emphasizes the bravery required for activism and the supportive community rallying around these crucial efforts.
This week, we welcome hero activist Zoe Rosenberg, who generously joined us amid her ongoing legal battle to discuss Direct Action Everywhere’s campaign against Petaluma Poultry. Zoe provided valuable context about the deceptive marketing of this Purdue subsidiary, which claims to offer “free range” and “organic” chickens while investigations reveal deplorable conditions. She shared her personal journey from early investigations to her brave June 2023 rescue of four sick chickens from a slaughterhouse, an act of compassion that led to her arrest and upcoming felony trial beginning May 16th. Despite facing harsh pretrial conditions, including an ankle monitor and travel restrictions, Zoe remains steadfast in her commitment to the power of open rescue and animal rights activism.
- Petaluma Poultry uses cartoon chickens and pastoral imagery in marketing, while DXE investigations documented birds suffering in factory farm conditions
- After years of reporting animal cruelty to authorities with no action taken, Zoe rescued four chickens requiring urgent medical care from Petaluma’s slaughterhouse
- The rescued chickens (Poppy, Ivy, Astrid, and Azalea) were suffering from parasites, respiratory infections, and injuries, that received immediate veterinary attention
- Zoe now faces one felony conspiracy charge and four misdemeanors for her open rescue activism, with her trial beginning May 16th in Santa Rosa, California
- Supporters can attend the trial (register at dxe.io/register) or sign the petition at righttorescue.com to stand with Zoe and the right to rescue animals in need
ABOUT OUR GUEST
Zoe Rosenberg is the founder of Happy Hen Animal Sanctuary, a sprawling farm animal rescue on the Central Coast of California that has saved over 1,000 animals. She is an organizer, lead investigator, and social media coordinator for the grassroots animal rights network Direct Action Everywhere. In recent years, Zoe has been awarded the Youth Activist of the Year Award from the National Animal Rights Conference and the Paul McCartney Veg Advocate Award. She has delivered a popular TEDx talk about her ongoing activism. Zoe is currently a student at UC Berkeley where she is studying social change strategy.
RESOURCES
- Animals That Feel the Slice of the Knife
- Cal-Maine Reports Soaring Profits, As Egg Prices Near $6/Dozen
- White House Weighs Helping Farmers as Trump Escalates Trade War
- The Way We Eat Is About To Change — Whether We Like It Or Not
- Revealed: Meat Industry Behind Attacks on Flagship Climate-Friendly Diet Report
- These fluffy white wolves explain everything wrong with bringing back extinct animals
- Zeldin to pursue new ban on animal testing at EPA
- FDA Announces Plan to Phase Out Animal Testing Requirement for Monoclonal Antibodies and Other Drugs
- 2025 ASPCA Fund to End Factory Farming
- Our Hen House Ep 408
- AN ACTIVIST RESCUED CHICKENS FROM ABUSE AT A PERDUE SLAUGHTERHOUSE Now, she’s facing years in prison.
- Perdue Rescue Trial Convergence Registration Form
INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT
We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview._____________________________________________
Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content!
Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review!
Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series.
Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, or Bluesky.
The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.
The AI-powered Podcast Player
