According to the owners of Sospiro Goat Ranch, a small family goat farm in North Carolina, as reported on their blog, “the Facts About the Attack On Our Farm,” dated 7/4/2018, “vegan terrorists” trespassed onto their farm and stole two kids (baby goats)—one in 2017 and another, Freddie, in 2018—claiming that the kids were sick and deprived of veterinary care, an allegation the farmers dispute vigorously in a YouTube video, worth watching.

As the farmer reveals, the first kid was being treated for a common parasite—coccidia—as diagnosed and prescribed by their veterinarian.  The second kid was completely normal until the “vegan terrorists” stole the week-old kid, replacing the safe, nutritious milk provided by his dam, with a bottle that was improperly fed resulting in aspiration pneumonia (as described by the farmer).  Aspiration pneumonia can be caused by incorrect drenching or bottle-feeding technique.  If Freddie contracted aspiration pneumonia by his untrained handlers, in addition to the jury-rendered felony larceny and breaking and entering conviction of DxE founder Wayne Hsiung, the State of North Carolina should consider filing animal cruelty charges against Hsiung.

Intentional trespass onto any animal facility, with an intent to steal the animals being raised and cared for by farmers, breeders, or other animal enterprises—the modus operandi for DxE around the US—must be met with fierce opposition, and not just in a court of law.  The public should be outraged by the blatant lack of regard by those who enter farms and breeding operations with no consideration of the biosecurity measures implemented daily to protect the animals raised therein from the introduction and spread of disease into or throughout the facility.

As reported in drovers.com.

Hsiung shared his animal activism beliefs when he took the stand as his first witness. One of his core arguments is that he believes Americans are entitled to the “right to rescue” animals facing cruelty, neglect, poor living conditions or untreated medical emergencies, and that he believes what he did was not only legal, but the moral thing to do, the article said.

The prosecution argued that this was a case of trespassing, breaking and entering and larceny, and that Hsiung had no prior knowledge of this specific goat’s existence before trespassing on the night of Feb. 11, 2018.

As reported by Lurah Lowery in the Hendersonville Times-News, Hsiung told the Times-News he plans to file an appeal. “‘I feel it’s bittersweet – I’m free,’ he said. ‘On the other hand, there are so many animals that are still suffering and in captivity. The goal from the very start of all of this was to encourage the government to take these animal cruelty situations at farms a little more seriously.’’

FACT CHECK—there is no evidence of ANY acts of animal cruelty at the Sospiro Goat Ranch.  The only “evidence” of cruelty are the acts of Hsiung and his co-conspirators who harmed a perfectly healthy goat kid while stealing him under the false banner of “right to rescue.”