Feathers flew in Sonoma County court this week as 23-year-old animal rights crusader Zoe Rosenberg landed a 90-day jail stint after a dramatic nighttime break-in at a local slaughterhouse. With the ink barely dry on her UC Berkeley diploma, Rosenberg—an outspoken member of protest group Direct Action Everywhere (DxE)—was found guilty on October 29, 2025, of felony conspiracy and a trio of misdemeanors after prosecutors said she spearheaded a covert operation at the Perdue-owned Petaluma Poultry plant last year.
Decked out in disguises, Rosenberg and her cohorts infiltrated the chicken factory during a series of secret “missions” over two months in 2023, sneaking through restricted zones and whisking away four birds she claims were sickly and left to suffer. The names she gave her feathered fugitives? Poppy, Ivy, Aster, and Azalea—the animal activist says she wanted to save them from certain death.
Law enforcement insists the flock-lifting escapade went far beyond animal rescue. According to Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office, Rosenberg’s team allegedly snatched company records and rigged all 12 poultry transport trailers with tracking devices—moves that cost the company big. The courtroom bombshell: the judge ordering Rosenberg to cough up over $100,000 in restitution on top of jail time.
Rosenberg, who began her sentence on December 10, will be behind bars for just two weeks before rolling over to house arrest on December 24 to finish out her 90-day penalty, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. Still defiant, Rosenberg told reporters, ‘I refuse to apologize for stepping in when these animals needed lifesaving care.’
The convicted activist also raised concerns about her own health behind bars, telling supporters in a DxE statement she fears for her medical needs while incarcerated but says she’d rather risk her life than give up championing animals. ABC News reports that a legal showdown over the massive restitution bill is still looming on the horizon.
Though her jail cell might be temporary, Rosenberg’s message is loud and clear: she’s not backing down from her fight for animal rights—even if it means copping handcuffs instead of applause.
