Zoe Rosenberg

Some Lesser Known Facts About Zoe Rosenberg+

• Zoe Rosenberg grew up in California and developed an early interest in helping injured or neglected animals.

• In 2013, at around age eleven, she started rescuing animals at her home in California. In 2014, at age twelve, she received a chicken named Georgia from a Central Valley factory farm.

• Georgia had lived inside a crowded shed and suffered from a serious breeding-related reproductive condition. Georgia died later in 2014 because of internal egg-laying complications linked to industrial breeding practices.

• After Georgia’s death, Zoe decided to focus strongly on rescuing farm animals facing similar conditions. In the following years, Zoe expanded her rescue work and developed the foundation for Happy Hen Animal Sanctuary.

• The sanctuary gradually grew and started providing long-term care to chickens, goats, cows, and other rescued animals.

• Around the same period, she began documenting farm conditions through photos, videos, and medical records.

• In 2018, she became active in Direct Action Everywhere, a Berkeley-based animal rights organisation. Direct Action Everywhere, commonly called DxE, regularly conducts farm investigations and removes injured animals.

• Zoe participated in several DxE operations that aimed to document farm conditions and rescue neglected animals.

• She enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley, around 2020 to continue her education while remaining active in activism.

• While studying at UC Berkeley, she took part in investigations, campus awareness events, and rescue operations.

• In 2023, she entered Perdue’s Petaluma Poultry slaughterhouse with other DxE activists during a nighttime investigation.

• During the 2023 operation, she removed four sick chickens, whom she later named Poppy, Ivy, Aster, and Azalea. The chickens were taken to an animal sanctuary for medical treatment and long-term care.

• Petaluma Poultry reported the incident to authorities and accused Zoe of theft and illegal entry. In late 2023, Sonoma County authorities opened a criminal case against her based on the Petaluma Poultry incident.

• She continued her studies at UC Berkeley while wearing an electronic ankle monitor for more than twenty months.

• She graduated from UC Berkeley in mid-2025 while still under movement restrictions from the ankle monitor.

• Her trial began on 15 September 2025 in Sonoma County, a major agricultural area in Northern California. Prosecutors charged her with felony conspiracy, trespassing, and three related misdemeanours linked to the 2023 raid.

• During the trial, the court allowed limited discussion of farm conditions and did not permit a necessity-defence argument.

• On 3 December 2025, a Sonoma County jury convicted her of felony conspiracy, trespassing, and other charges. On the same day, the Sonoma County Superior Court sentenced her to ninety days in jail.

• Her lawyers announced plans to appeal the conviction through higher courts in California. The four rescued chickens remained at an animal sanctuary and continued receiving long-term care in 2025.

• On 4 December 2025, Zoe Rosenberg said she must pay more than $102 thousand dollars in restitution for the 2023 rescue incident.

• She confirmed she must report to Sonoma County Jail on 10 December at 7 pm to start her sentence. The court ordered her to complete two years of supervised probation after finishing the ninety-day jail term.

• The court also instructed her to maintain employment or continue studying during the probation period. She was directed to stay away from all Perdue facilities located in Sonoma County during her probation.

• The court prohibited her from contacting several animal rescuers who previously worked with her on investigations.

• She said the judge blocked her from applying for alternative detention during the first thirty days of her jail term. She added that her request for alternative detention could also be rejected for the remaining sixty days.

• Rosenberg stated that the Sonoma County Jail uses WellPath as its medical provider for inmates. She noted that WellPath has faced more than fourteen hundred lawsuits related to medical neglect and malpractice.

• She added that WellPath is currently undergoing a bankruptcy process in the United States courts. Zoe said she has Type 1 Diabetes, which she has managed since the age of eight.

• She explained that missing insulin for a few hours may lead to hospitalization or dangerous medical complications. She stated that a severe drop in blood sugar without immediate glucose access can cause seizures or coma.

• Rosernberg requested people to contact Governor Gavin Newsom and ask for a pardon before she reports to jail. She said supporters can use the website FreeZoe.org to ask for a pardon from the Governor.