Governments globally are cracking down on peaceful protesters and activists for sounding the alarm on climate catastrophe, genocide, animal cruelty, and social injustice, according to Human Rights Watch.
Sonoma County is no exception.
Zoe Rosenberg, a 22-year-old UC Berkeley student studying social movements, is awaiting trial for rescuing four sick and wounded chickens from Perdue Petaluma Poultry farm.
“The chickens’ names are Poppy, Ivy, Aster, and Azalea. They were covered in scratches and bruises and infested with Coccidia parasites. For helping them, I am being charged with felony conspiracy, two forms of misdemeanor trespass, misdemeanor theft, and misdemeanor tampering with a vehicle,” Rosenberg said.
When Rosenberg was 11 years old, she founded the Happy Hen Sanctuary in San Luis Obispo, Calif. She’s now an animal rights activist and organizer with Direct Action Everywhere (DxE), a global network of animal rights activists founded in the San Francisco Bay Area.
“I am facing up to five and a half years in prison for rescuing Poppy, Ivy, Aster, and Azalea,” Rosenberg said. “There are moments when I feel afraid, and also sad that the commodification of animals is so deeply embedded in every aspect of our society that prosecutions like this one can even happen. But, at the same time, I am incredibly grateful that Poppy, Ivy, Aster, and Azalea are safe and happy. I know that what I am facing is nothing compared to what animals go through on Perdue factory farms.”
Rosenberg said she has been openly rescuing animals from abuse and suffering since 2018, and she has helped more than 1,000 animals. This will be the first time she has faced criminal charges.
“This is a political prosecution. The Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office wants to protect Perdue’s reputation and make an example of me to stop other people from rescuing animals. Unfortunately for them, it isn’t going to work,” she said.
She is also not alone in the consequences she is facing for efforts to help animals and expose inhumane conditions on factory farms.
Wayne Hsiung, a lawyer and prominent animal rights activist, is also being charged with criminal convictions for protesting animal cruelty at Sunrise Farms and Reichardt Duck Farm in Sonoma County, during which multiple birds were rescued and brought to receive veterinary care, according to a press release from the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project (AALDP).
The press release quoted Justin Marceau, Director of the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project, “If Hsiung had entered private property to rescue a dog from a swimming pool, there would be no question that his conduct was lawful because he prevented the dog from drowning,” he said.
“But, because he led a protest where animals were rescued from a factory farm, Mr. Hsiung was instead prosecuted on felonies and jailed. This exceptionalism, in which inflicting excruciating pain and suffering on animals is permitted simply because it occurs in agriculture, must end.”
According to an article in The Press Democrat, District Attorney Matthew Hobson also linked the entry of Rosenberg and members of Direct Action Everywhere into the farms to the outbreak of Avian Influenza late last year.
“The accusations of biosecurity violations by investigators are completely unfounded. We take biosecurity precautions that are veterinarian-approved and go above and beyond industry standards,” Rosenberg said.
She explained that the precautionary measures include quarantining away from other birds before and after investigations, showering, putting on freshly washed clothing, and wearing extensive biosecure personal protective equipment.
“Unfortunately, many of these facilities, particularly Reichardt Duck Farm, have poor biosecurity practices that are putting birds at risk of diseases like Avian Influenza,” Rosenberg said. She explained the dilapidated conditions of the structures where the birds are housed allows other wild birds to enter.
According to studies, including one by Matthew Hayek on National Institutes of Health, overcrowding of animals in confined spaces directly contributes to the emergence and spread of disease.
Rosenberg said in her investigations of factory farms in Sonoma County and beyond, “the conditions vary facility to facility, but disease and injury is generally rampant to the point where no animals on these farms can be described as ‘healthy.’”
She further described the conditions on Reichardt Duck Farm in Petaluma, where she said the ducks spend their entire lives indoors on wire flooring, never able to feel the earth beneath their feet or swim in water.
“Deceased ducklings could always be found amongst the living, evidence that many slowly die without receiving needed care,” Rosenberg said.
“I have repeatedly reported Perdue’s Petaluma Poultry, Reichardt Duck Farm, and other Sonoma County companies to local law enforcement. Unfortunately, as far as I am aware, the authorities have neglected to even investigate our animal cruelty concerns,” she continued.
Rosenberg explained that while she has always loved animals, her motivation to help them stemmed from witnessing the inner workings of animal agriculture.
“Like many people, I’d been influenced by society to believe that chickens were stupid, that their lives should be valued less than dogs, cats, and other animals. When I got to know them, I realized how wrong I was. I realized that chickens are incredibly intelligent and they all have unique personalities and characteristics,” Rosenberg said. “At the age of eleven, I saw a video of what happens on factory egg farms and I was devastated. I immediately knew that I wanted to dedicate my life to helping chickens and other animals escape the horrors of animal agriculture,”
