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Oscar-nominated vegan actor James Cromwell will be part of a major Thanksgiving animal rescue later this month, saving 100 turkeys from a slaughterhouse near Salt Lake City, Plant Based News can reveal.
Cromwell will join forces with animal rights network Direct Action Everywhere (DxE), a Buddhist vegan who has been labeled an animal rights ‘terrorist’ by the FBI, and a Mormon turkey farmer to rescue the birds.
The plans have grown out of the unlikely friendship between Wayne Hsiung, Founder of DxE, and Rick Pitman, owner of Pitman Family Farms.
Thanksgiving mercy
The friendship started after Hsiung was charged with multiple felonies, and left facing decades in prison for removing a sick bird from Norbest LLC, a Pitman subsidiary in Utah.
“But rather than continuing their fight in court, the two sides decided on a dramatically different path this Thanksgiving: generosity,” DxE told Plant Based News. “Hsiung, Cromwell, and hundreds of animal rights supporters plan to travel to Norbest to provide food and holiday gifts for the employees of the plant and other locals.
“Pitman, in turn, plans to release 100 turkeys to the activists in an act of Thanksgiving mercy. The birds will be immediately taken to local sanctuaries, where they will live out their lives as pets in happy families. Hsiung and Pitman hope to show that even adversaries can show compassion this holiday season.”
