Particle.news
Download on the App Store
10 ARTICLES
·
8h ago

Jury Convicts UC Berkeley Activist of Felony in Sonoma Chicken ‘Open Rescue’ Case

Sentencing is set for Dec. 3, with an appeal planned that could test the legal limits of “right to rescue” tactics.

Image
Animal rights activist Zoe Rosenberg, right, who is on trial for taking four chickens from one of Perdue Farms’ major poultry plants, stands next to her attorney Chris Carraway outside Sonoma County Superior Court in Santa Rosa, Calif. on Tuesday. The trial is now in the hands of the jury.
Animal rights activist Zoe Rosenberg, who is on trial for taking four chickens from one of Perdue Farms' major poultry plants, is pictured outside Sonoma County Superior Court in Santa Rosa, Calif. on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Terry Chea)
Animal rights activist Zoe Rosenberg talks to reporters outside the Sonoma County Superior Courthouse before her preliminary hearing May 3, 2024, in Santa Rosa, Calif. (Chad Surmick/The Press Democrat via AP)

Overview

  • A Sonoma County jury found Zoe Rosenberg guilty of felony conspiracy and three misdemeanors for a 2023 action in which she took four chickens from Petaluma Poultry, a Perdue subsidiary.
  • She faces a maximum sentence of about four and a half years in jail, and the judge ordered an ankle monitor instead of immediate custody.
  • Prosecutors argued her conduct was illegal regardless of motive, with the district attorney saying personal beliefs do not justify trespassing, disruption, or endangering workers and animals.
  • Rosenberg and her lawyers said the birds were sick and abused, described the removal as a rescue, and noted the chickens—named Poppy, Ivy, Aster, and Azalea—are living at a sanctuary.
  • The verdict comes from a county that has aggressively prosecuted similar activism, contrasting with mixed outcomes elsewhere, and her legal team says it will appeal.