Animal Activist and Former Baywatch Star Found Not Guilty in ‘Open Rescue’

Former “Baywatch” star Alexandra Paul and animal rights activist Alicia Santurio were found not guilty of misdemeanor theft by a Merced County jury on March 17 after they “rescued” two chickens from a Foster Farms truck in Livingston, Calif., in September 2021. 

The Merced County District Attorney’s office prosecuted the case that caught international attention from animal rights activists who continue to target large farms across the country. 

This is the latest of several trials, and more trials will be held throughout 2023. The next one will take place in Sonoma County, Calif.

Paul and Santurio are members of the animal rights network Direct Action Everywhere (DXE). They faced the possibility of spending up to six months in jail if they were found guilty. 

After the verdict, Paul told reporters going to jail would have been worth it. 

“The only reason people like us go into these places is because law enforcement and the government aren’t helping these animals,” Paul said in The Fresno Bee. “No one is comfortable with abusing animals, even if they are chickens, and I think the jury understood that.”  

District Attorney Sets Record Straight

Cassie King, a spokesperson for DXE, called this court decision a victory for the concept of “open rescue.” 

“We have the momentum, and we cannot stop now,” Almira Tanner wrote in a recent DXE blog post. “2023 will bring more open rescues, more bold actions, and more trials. As we tear down the industry, we lift up animals. We show the world the violence that must be left in the past, and the beauty the future can hold.”

Even Paul admitted to reporters she would do it again if necessary and plans to continue to do her “investigatory work,” if she finds a sick animal. 

But Merced County District Attorney Nicole Silveira argues this Foster Farms case doesn’t set a precedent. “Rescuing” farm animals is illegal and you will be prosecuted, she said in The Fresno Bee.

Many animal rights groups saw the court decision as a key victory in the movement to make it legal to remove farm animals that are suspected of being neglected. Some states provide immunity to a person who breaks into a car to rescue a pet that is in distress, but that protection does not apply to farm animals.

Silveira explained the jury’s not guilty verdict does not mean the defendant’s acts were legal. It shows that they were not guilty of this crime, she said in The Fresno Bee. The crime of theft is still criminal conduct.

She pointed out that the activists and their legal team used a “mistake of law” defense, meaning “they believed it was legal to steal the animals in this instance,” the article said.

“Now there should be no further mistake that this conduct is illegal and anyone who commits these acts will be prosecuted. They, and everyone who reads this, is now on notice that it is illegal to take animals from another person, farm, or place of business,” Silveira wrote to The Fresno Bee. “Moving forward from this verdict, there should be no further mistakes or misunderstandings: if you steal animals in Merced County, regardless of your personal beliefs, you will be prosecuted for that conduct.” 

Local Rally Attempts to Raise Support

On March 26, five animal activists gathered on the University of Illinois campus in Urbana, Ill., in a “Rally for the Right to Rescue” to raise awareness and show support for the right to rescue, according to a Facebook post.

“We are here to speak out for animals who cannot speak for themselves. We are here to tell you that there is something you can do. Rescue these animals and join the animal rights movement today,” an activist read from his phone during the rally. 

The organization continues to mobilize activists all over the country – not just on the coasts, explains Hannah Thompson-Weeman, president of the Animal Agriculture Alliance. She says there are two important takeaways for the livestock industry to understand from the rally.

“Sometimes people can be lulled into a false sense of security by assuming these extreme incidents are only happening on the coasts, or only in urban areas. That is not the case. While DXE is primarily based in the San Francisco Bay area, the group has small pockets of supporters across the country that are willing to mobilize for the cause, and the ‘lead organizers’ have also shown they’re willing to travel anywhere to conduct ‘investigations’ and demonstrations,” Thompson-Weeman explains. “Other extreme groups like The Save Movement have chapters in various cities, particularly where processing plants are located. By providing these local chapters with messaging and resources, these organizations are trying to get their message heard even in unexpected places.” 

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